News

Over the years, local herders have gained a negative reputation, as culprits who allow their animals to graze on protected rangelands, burning grass misguided by the notion that burning improves the new grass crop and not practicing sustainable herding. As custodians of natural resources, herders were addressed to highlight their significant contribution to management and protection of natural resources.

A documentary about the vital role that Lesotho plays for water security in Southern Africa. It includes a protrayal of ReNOKA efforts to restore land and water across the country.

ReNOKA joins Lesotho government and SADC at World Water Forum in Senegal.

ReNOKA (‘we are a river’) organises screenings of internationally acclaimed film “This is Not a Burial, It’s A Resurrection” and documentary “The Great River Orange-Senqu”

Indigenous knowledge is a powerful tool for restoration of land and water: A new research study for ReNOKA presents the value of mainstreaming indigenous knowledge systems to address catchment degradation and improve climate resilience.

Following a comprehensive external review of Lesotho’s policy framework for integrated catchment management (ICM), ReNOKA stakeholders gathered on 8 March to hear the main findings from the consultants and to deliberate on the next steps towards establishment a legal and policy framework that will enable an effective governance of land and water resources.

Palesa Lefojane - Junior Advisor Catchment Operations & Gender Mainstreaming - ReNOKA programme sharing her thoughts on International Women's Day 2022 under the theme Gender Equality today for a Sustainable tomorrow

Visit to Makhalaneng catchment area demonstrated efforts by local communities to combat environmental degradation and advance climate resilience.

For the first time, governmental and non-governmental institutions, regional and international partners agree on joint activities to protect Lesotho’s land, water resources.

Sharing the commemorative message for World Wetlands Day, Mme Sebabatso Sedia Catchment Manager in the Integrated Catchment Management Coordination Unit, highlighted the importance of community involvement in the process of catchment management, urging communities to work in protecting wetlands as this is where resources Basotho depend on can be found such as herbs for medicinal purposes.

Mr Khotso Mathafeng, National GIS Expert under FAO, giving insight on the Land cover status of Lesotho a survey conducted by FAO under ReNOKA. As an option to add: He highlighted, "that as humans and animals encroach into the wetlands, this leads to degradation, leading to the wetlands drying up so much that one can see footpaths and tracks due to encroachment on the lands."

Summer is here, the sun is up early and goes down much later. The ReNOKA team overseeing the implementation of emergency rehabilitation measures in some of the degradation hotspots around the country took great advantage of the changing season to engage with prospective contractors at these hotspots in the Priority Sub-Catchment areas to show them the work at hand.

This year marked the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 76) opening in New York on 14th September 2021. The UNGA High-Level Week took place from 20-24 September 2021 under the theme: “Building resilience through hope – to recover from COVID-19, rebuild sustainability, respond to the needs of the planet, respect the rights of people, and revitalize the United nations”.

In 2021, Lesotho launched ReNOKA (“We Are a River”), a national and active citizen movement to advance integrated catchment management (ICM) in Lesotho and the Orange-Senqu River basin. A kick-off event in Maloraneng on 16 September marked the beginning of operations in the Khubelu subcatchment, a vital water source area of the Senqu basin.

A strategic partnership between the National University of Lesotho (NUL), the Integrated Catchment Management Coordination Unit (ICU) and Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ) was signed on Tuesday the 21st September 2021 at the National University of Lesotho through a Memorandum of Understanding. The partnership will strengthen professional education, applied science and innovative research for integrated catchment management in Lesotho. The signed Memorandum of Understanding provides, for the first time, a framework for collaboration involving all faculties and institutes of NUL for the purpose supporting integrated catchment management in Lesotho.

August is recognized as Womens’ month in neighbouring South Africa, which is part of the Orange-Senqu river basin. In this month, ReNOKA is spotlighting and celebrating women participating and contributing in the restoration of our natural resources in the catchments., ‘Me’ Mahali Bulane, a member of the Kolo community watershed team (CWT) in Likhetla-Mafeteng area tells us her story:

Shweshwe is one of the most iconically Southern African fabrics. Like ReNOKA, it marries traditional with contemporary.

The world-renowned Basotho tribal blankets have a deep cultural significance and history. They are unique in terms of the layout of the design, the various symbols used, the bold colour combinations and the characteristic pin-stripe.

As a subsistence farmer, ‘Maliako noticed the negative impact the environment was having on crop yields. By problem-solving together with other women in her community, ‘Maliako now employs better farming practices and hopes to reverse the effects of climate change.

By using learnings from the present and the past, herder Phate was able to bring his community together to take meaningful steps to mitigate the soil erosion he had noticed.