Bible Society brings literacy to remote mountain peaks

LESOTHO — Travelling the 300 kms east from Maseru, Lesotho’s capital, to Mokhotlong is no mean feat. The journey involves driving for at least five hours high up into the Drakensberg Mountains. The shepherds who work in this area gather in Mokhotlong when they come down from the high pastures. A team from the Bible Society in Lesotho went there recently to meet them.

A shepherd boy who attended the launch of two literacy books in Mokhotlong in April 2006. Photo: UBS/Francois Sieberhagen (LES06DJ-10.JPG)

Rarely attend school

It is quite common for boys to begin working as shepherds from as young as five or six years old. This means that they rarely attend school, if at all. Thanks to the Africa Inland Mission, though, there are now 16 schools in the Mokhotlong area where shepherds are being taught basic literacy. These schools are known as ‘balisana’, the local word for ‘shepherd’.

Plastic boots

And so it was to Mokhotlong that the Bible Society went to launch two Bible-based literacy books that will assist in this work among shepherds. Around 400 shepherds, dressed in plastic boots, blankets and woollen hats, gathered for the ceremony, singing and dancing as they arrived. Many had been brought in taxis hired by the Bible Society, while others came by tractor or on horseback.

Books were blessed

After the books were blessed by Bible Society Board Chairman Bishop VM Rats¼oane, one of the shepherds, 20-year-old Moholi Mohapeloa, read aloud, proud to show off the skills he had acquired at a balisana school.

Mohlabi Tsekoa, the Education Minister, was also present. A former shepherd himself, he called on the shepherds to seize the opportunity to attend school.

“These materials we are dedicating today have been developed to help you become literate. Education is not a dream, it is a reality. It is now your responsibility to take up the challenge and to go to the balisana schools. After that you should enter the government schools. Practise your reading by reading God’s Word and becoming good Christians.”

Improve themselves

Mr Tsekoa went on to express his gratitude for the efforts of the Bible Society and its partner organisations to improve the lot of the shepherds.

“We can see that you care about these shepherds and want to help them to improve themselves. This is a very important partnership for the government. It is also important to me personally that these boys get the opportunity to engage with the Bible. They really need the message from the Bible.”

He was also excited at the prospect of the Bible being made available in non-print format. “If you succeed in doing that, it will really help all these people, especially the older ones. The technology must be strong enough to survive in the mountains.”

In total, 1,000 copies of each book are now being distributed to balisana schools and directly to shepherds themselves across the country.

Bear multiple fruit

“This is an initiative that should bear multiple fruit,” says Bible Society General Secretary Inahaneng Tsekana.

For earlier reports about the Bible Society in Lesotho’s ministry to shepherds, see World Report 367/4, 360/15 and 360/16. (WR 403/10 - 07.06) [4 photos]