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Maseru

Safety

Safety in Maseru, Lesotho
What do other Racers need to know in order to be safe? Current safety protocols/precautions in place? Any relevant issues/concerns? Any precautionary suggestions?

People’s Opinions

  1. My team and I felt very safe in Maseru. We always traveled in groups of at least two. We never went out after sundown. Be cautious of taking phones and other personal items out with you when walking the streets, we never had any issues, but our ministry host warned us of the possibility of getting robbed when carrying your phones, etc.
  2. My team felt very safe in Maseru. We always traveled in groups of at least two people and did not go out after sundown. As always, be cautious of what you bring in public and have out for others to see.

Ministry Summary

Ministry Summary in Maseru, Lesotho
Breakthroughs? Suggestions? Concerns? On a scale of 1-4 (1 being not at all, 4 being absolutely) how strongly would you recommend another World Race team go to this ministry location & why?

People’s Opinions

  1. We were at Tholoana ea Lerato and we LOVED it! The comments below pretty much cover everything. We were the first coed team, so ministry for us looked like: Us girls waking up really early Monday-Friday and helping bathe the little ones and getting them dressed for the day, helping with dishes from breakfast, walking the older ones to school (this is where our guys joined in at). Then the guys would help sweep & mop the main house & they would play with the little on the playground. Then we would all do ministry in the afternoons, which looked like playing outside with all of the kids when they got home from school.The kids LOVE to watch movies! So, we made the decision as a team, to do movie Fridays with the kids in the evenings & they absolutely loved it! They will ask you every night to watch a movie, and we just had to tell them that we only watch a movie on Friday’s.The kids just recently had received Bibles, so we were able to do some Bible studies with the older girls and our guys did one with the boys, and they seemed to love it.Like the posts below- boundaries are important! Don’t make any promises that you can’t keep. Have so much fun! The kids are incredible! You’re going to have a great month!
  2. We would HIGHLY recommend Tholoana ea Lerato! We loved it here. Ministry summaries below are on point – we loved on the kids, played with them after school (school starts mid-January), and assisted in the house for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and bedtime. We walked the kids to school (they leave around 7-7:30am) and they really loved that. We would recommend doing Bible Studies with them – they all have their own Bibles but are still learning how to read it!Use your discretion when using technology with the kids. What you choose to do sets precedents and expectations for the rest of your month and for future Racers. When we arrived, the kids kept asking for us to show them movies on our laptops, but we didn’t have movies and didn’t feel comfortable bringing out our laptops. We brought out a portable speaker and played music for dance parties and they LOVED IT – we had dance parties every day! They like to have their pictures taken, and if you let them use your phone, they will take lots of pictures (maybe even find your Snapchat and take pictures there). It’s your choice what technology you will and won’t use with them. Don’t be afraid to set boundaries; they were very respectful and understanding when we told them they couldn’t have our phones, but we kept them inside the house when we weren’t using them.We were given access to the preschool building and we tried to do Bible Studies in there, but it was mass chaos every time the kids were in there haha. It is a good resource, but the kids just never got used to the novelty of it! Don’t be afraid to try again!Like the other posts said, boundaries are important. Don’t promise what you can’t deliver to the kids or the host. But HAVE FUN! These kids are so sweet. You’re going to have a GREAT month!!
  3. Our team stayed at Thloana Ea Lerato (I totally did not spell that right but it was formerly Lesotho Save the Children). We were there for two months when the kids were out of school so they were at home all day. We lived at the ministry site so it was really hard to draw boundaries of when ministry time was, the kids just didn’t understand why we weren’t playing with them all the time so they would get frustrated with us a lot. But ministry was awesome, it was really just a chance to get to know and love on 27 kids there. They know discipline but they don’t know love, so it was cool to get a chance to be a physical presence of love for them. We just played with them during the day and helped them with dishes after meals.
  4. BEAUTIFUL DREAM SOCIETY: Our team partnered with Beautiful Dream Society (beautifuldream.tv) to work with their kids home in Maseru. The children, between the ages of 6 and 17, who live at this house are double orphans, or have experience some sort of abuse (whether emotional, physical or sexual). They have two houses, each with it’s own house mother, and a school on their property with two teachers (said “Teacha” in Sesotho). The classrooms are split into elementary and middle school and two people from our team were able to serve as an associate/assistant in the classrooms (one per class). Additionally, we led daily devotions for the kids, planned fun activities after church on Sunday, painted the inside of the main house, and assisted with other misc. tasks (e.g. clothing inventory for the kids). As this ministry continues to grow, we would highly encourage another team come to support! They are in the process of opening a shelter for women, and building a community where they can have more space to provide the “home” environment to more children in need.
  5. We were placed at Lesotho Save the Children and it was great! We woke up early during the week to help the kids with chores (bathing, sweeping, mopping, dishes, etc.) before they went to school. We helped with writing proposals for funding, painted the preschool, and when the kids got back from school, we did VBS with them. We then helped them with homework and nightly chores. Likewise, Lesotho Save the Children is prime location for street ministry that we did as well!

Lodging

Lodging in Maseru, Lesotho
Where did you stay? What were the accommodations (sleeping arrangements, toilets, showers, etc.)? Cost (per person per night in USD), Contact info.

People’s Opinions

  1. Since we were a coed team, us girls stayed in the big house and our boys stayed in the hut. Both had showers and running water. There were six beds in the house and three beds in the hut. The house has a fridge and freezer. There’s a kettle to boil water. There’s a lot of pots, pans, plates, bowls, and utensils available, but like the post below says- make sure to look in the house and the hut!
  2. At Tholoana ea Lerato, check both the house and hut for kitchen supplies – we went a week or more using our sporks and collapsible bowls because we weren’t using the hut and didn’t know there were kitchen supplies in there. There is a variety of pots, pans, plates, bowls, and utensils available. The electric kettle was a life-saver for making coffee! **BE CAUTIOUS: we blew a fuse the first night turning on all the lights in the house hahaha**
  3. We stayed at Tholana ea lerato (formerly Lesotho Save the Children), we had a house and a hut, in the house there were 4 beds, and there were 2 beds in the hut. There was a bathroom in each, and working showers in each, although the showers were cold. The fridge in the house worked, and we bought a hotplate so we could do all the cooking in the big house. They didnt ask for any money for staying, but they did ask for a donation
  4. BEAUTIFUL DREAM SOCIETY: BDS rents a house in Lower Thetsane where they host staff from the US (founded in Oklahoma) and ministry teams from around the world. They had 5 bedrooms available, each with 1-2 beds. Showers/toilets were indoors, and hot water was available. We were able to cook our own meals (stove top and oven) and utensils were provided.The cost per night was approximately $0.50 USD, in addition to food costs (on average M 1,000-1,400 per week).
  5. Our ministry site was Lesotho Save the Children and we stayed on site. There was one large house and a small hut 25 feet away (all inside the gated site).Large house: 5 beds with blankets and pillows, 1 working toilet, 2 sinks, 3 showers that don’t work but large basins are provided to use buckets, running water, large 50L boiler to boil water for cooking and showering, kitchen (sink works but fridge doesn’t work, but we stored our food here because there was a lot of storage)Small hut: 2 beds with blankets and pillows, 1 couch that can be used as a bed, 1 working toilet, 1 sink, 1 shower that has hot water from the solar panels but the water pressure consists of droplets so bucket showers were best, running water, small sink, small water pitcher for boiling water, 2-burner stove, mini fridgeThere was no cost for the site, but they asked for a donation.

Food / Meals

Food / Meals in Maseru, Lesotho
What did you eat? Where did you get the food? Cost (per person per day in USD)? Contact info (if applicable).

People’s Opinions

  1. Definitely shop at ShopRite! It was less expensive then Pick’n’Pay. We bought a weeks worth of groceries at a time. You can walk to the ShopRite if you were to need to go and grab some things. We found it easy to walk there and then taxi back with all of our groceries.
  2. We recommend buying groceries at ShopRite instead of Pick’n’Pay; it’s less expensive! We also found it really helpful to plan out a week’s worth of meals and buy only what we needed at the beginning of every week to save on transportation.Ouh La La restaurant on Main Street near ShopRite has a great selection of food and beverages for relatively cheap. It has outdoor seating and is a great place to hang out. It’s a safe place to bring laptops for offline use (no wifi), just don’t leave them on your table and walk away.
  3. BEAUTIFUL DREAM SOCIETY: We went grocery shopping once a week with our ministry host. “Pick N Pay” at the Pioneer Mall has more quality products (fresh produce); however, if you are buying water*, we recommend buying that at “Shoprite” at the Maseru Mall (it’s less expensive). We packed lunches daily, and cooked dinner 6 nights a week. For meals out, we frequented Debonairs Pizza in the Pioneer Mall, Primi at the Maseru Mall and it was recommended to us to eat at The Royal (Indian food) and Peri Peri (Portuguese food). If you are looking for an authentic local dish, there is a woman who sells meals of papa, marojo, squash, carrots and pork/beef out of the back of her car…If you ask a local/ministry host, they’ll know who you’re talking about. Also, you have to get magwinya (fatty cakes). They’re basically fried dough the size of a doughnut hole or baseball, depending on who makes them. Get them hot and dip them in cinnamon sugar YUM.*We used tap water to brush our teeth, but boiled water for drinking or bought bottles while grocery shopping. Be aware that Lesotho randomly turns off the water to certain parts of the country without warning. We were “without” water for 3 days but since if happens frequently, our ministry hosts have a reserve which we dipped into for that time.
  4. We mainly cooked our own food. We bought our food from “Pick N Pay” at the Pioneer Mall. There is a food court that is great for eating out at the Pioneer Mall. There is also a place called Barcelos that is yummy as well as a place called Stadium which serves american food that is just a short walk away!

Transportation

Transportation in Maseru, Lesotho
What transportation did you use to enter the country? Where were you coming from? What transportation was used to move throughout the country? Be sure to include the cost per person in USD and contact info if applicable.

People’s Opinions

  1. We stayed on site at an orphanage. They did provide transportation once a week for grocery shopping. You can walk to Pioneer Mall (30 min walk) and you can walk to the ShopRite (15 min walk) and we taxi’d some places for 26 M per taxi, so you want to make sure the taxi is full, because you pay 26 M regardless.
  2. BEAUTIFUL DREAM SOCIETY: Our squad traveled together from Johannesburg, SA to Maseru, Lesotho (booked by our squad logistics coordinators). Our ministry hosts picked us up from our drop off point at the Pioneer Mall (Pioneer Mall is the first mall you see when crossing the boarder from Ladybrand, SA). While in Maseru, we walked to and from our ministry site (approx. 30 minute walk), could walk to Maseru Mall (15 min. walk), and taxi’d everywhere else for M 26 per taxi (they charge per seat so if you fill the taxi or want to be the only people in the car, you pay for all seats for a total of M 26).
  3. We arrived in Maseru from Johannesburg with our whole squad. We hired bus company to take us from the Johannesburg airport to Maseru, Lesotho. Because Lesotho Save the Children is also in Maseru, our host had a car and was able to pick us up. We lived on site, so we rarely had to pay for local transportation. Just communicate with the driver and he is more than willing to take you anywhere (he lives on site too). We took taxis occasionally but typically walked everywhere.
    For adventures that were further away, we hired taxi vans. Our host negotiated for us!

Medical

Medical in Maseru, Lesotho
Information on local hospitals / doctors / pharmacies. Where would someone go in a medical emergency? (addresses and contact info).

People’s Opinions

  1. There was pharmacy in Pioneer Mall called “Clicks” and another pharmacy at Maseru Mall – both sold mostly toiletries. There is a pharmacy downtown that sells medicine if needed, but you can also find basics in the grocery stores (Pick N Pay @ Pioneer or Shoprite @ Maseru) or a place similar to Walmart called Game (@ Maseru Mall)Better medical care would be across the boarder in South Africa (10 minute drive to the boarder), but if it’s an emergency Queen Mamohato is the local hospital (Phone: 2222 0319).
  2. There are a few pharmacies within walking distance of Lesotho Save the Children. The local hospital is called Queen Mamohato, but to my understanding you would need to drive there.

Communication

Communication in Maseru, Lesotho
Did you have cell reception / Internet service? Where? Carrier / Provider, where did you get phones / SIM cards, cost? Country code?

People’s Opinions

  1. Finding reliable wifi this month was really hard. Barcelo’s at Pioneer mall had really slow wifi that we used all month long but we could only have two people on the wifi and it still took us 4 hours to get all of our logistical things done. Buying data for our SIMs cards was also really expensive but we did it when we had to.
  2. They did not have wifi on site for us and we couldn’t find wifi anywhere, so we all ended up buying a SIM card and data for the month.
  3. Tholoana ea Lerato has Wifi on site, but it is limited, so use it sparingly and respectfully. We were asked to use it for communication only – no streaming, no videos, no social media, etc. We used up all the internet in the first two weeks and needed to use an internet shop for the rest of our time.We found a little internet shop about a 10-15 minute walk from the orphanage. It’s called “Welcome Star Internet Shop” and it is on the big traffic circle, next to the bridge, up the stairs. It is M4 for 15 minutes, M7 for 30 minutes, and M10 for an hour. The owner was so sweet and really appreciated our business. It’s small, so sometimes only a few people can go in at a time.
  4. For Tholana ea Lerato we were blessed with amazing wifi, literally awesome wifi all the time just up at the office building, it was good enough to have several people facetiming at a time and could handle watching netflix.
  5. BEAUTIFUL DREAM SOCIETY: Cell reception in Maseru was overall very good. The SIM card was purchased at Vodacom in the Maseru Mall (M 205 for two SIM cards and minutes). Our ministry host translated/helped get what we needed.Wi-fi was provided in our ministry hosts home and could also be found at some restaurants, such as Primi @ Maseru Mall. It was provided when asked and with purchase.
  6. We had cell service all over Maseru. There is a board room on site which has wifi, it’s cuts in and out and can be slow if more then 3 people are on it at a time. There is a place at the Pioneer Mall called Vodacom that has SIM cards – our host took us and translated for us/told them what we needed.

Financial

Financial in Maseru, Lesotho
Location of banks or ATMs, notes about transaction fees, best places to exchange money, and other money related advice.

People’s Opinions

  1. I agree with Madison. We had to use the ATMs at Pioneer mall and they didn’t always corporate with our team cards. Sometimes they charged a fee and other times not. I had to exchange EC as well.
  2. They had ATM’s at Pioneer Mall. Our treasurer had a really hard time pulling money out. The ATM only worked one random time for her. She ended up having to exchange emergency cash, at the bank at Pioneer Mall, to pay our host for lodging. The stores in the mall close really early on Saturday and Sunday’s (some close around 2 and some close around 4).
  3. ATMs are through Bank of Lesotho and Ned Bank. Both are reliable; however, if you try to withdrawal towards the end of the month, be forewarned that the lines are extremely long due to Besotho pay-day. Highly encourage Charles Schwab for no transaction/international fee.You can find ATMs at either Mall (Pioneer or Maseru). They only work during mall hours though, and shops close early on Saturday and Sunday (at or around 4pm).
  4. There are ATMs within walking distance. Don’t use after sundown. We always used the ATM at Pioneer Mall which we almost always walked to (30 min walk through town). Get a Charles Schwab card because there is no fee for transactions.

Translators

Translators in Maseru, Lesotho
List any local translators – name and contact information, languages spoken

People’s Opinions

  1. BEAUTIFUL DREAM SOCIETY: Sesotho (SE-SOO-TOO) and English are the national languages. We did not need a translator for our ministry, as the kids are educated in English. Here are some helpful words in Sesotho that we used frequently though;Hello – Lumela (DU-MEL-A)…to a woman – Lumela *Me (DU-MEL-A MAE)…to a man – Lumela *Ntate (DU-MEL-A N-DAT-TE)…to a girl – Lumela *Aussi (DU-MEL-A OW-SI)…to a boy – Lumela *Aboote (DU-MEL-A A-BOOT-E)*Plural put “BO” in front of the word = Bo Me (BON-ME)Prayer – Tapello
    How are you – U phela joang (O PEL-A J-WONG)I am fine – Kea phela hanke (K PEL-A HAN-KE)Thank you – Kea leboha (K-A-LA-BO-HA or CALI-BO-HA)Sorry – Pepe (PEP-PEE)
  2. All of the staff that work at Lesotho Save the Children speak english. The house moms speak very broken english, if any. The older children speak english (sometimes broken) but are more than willing to translate for the younger ones. Sesotho is the primary language spoken.

Off Days / Fun Activities

Off Days / Fun Activities in Maseru, Lesotho
What activities did your team experience? Recommendations? List locations/contact info. Any locations to be avoided? Any extra safety tips for off days?

People’s Opinions

  1. LION PETTING: We took a day trip into South Africa to pet lions at Tempelhof (tempelhof.co.za). Our ministry hosts drove us, so we stopped in Ladybrand, SA for breakfast at Living Life Station (highly recommend!). Then we drove about 45 minutes to Tempelhof where they had 6 week-old and 6 month-old cubs for petting, as well as full grown lions and other exotic animals to see for R80 (around $6 USD). You can only use Rand at this place – Not card or Loti (M), the currency of Lesotho. Following the lions, we drove another 45 minutes to Clarens, SA for lunch. There were tons of shops and we picked up a bag of coffee beans from Highland Coffee (recommended as the best coffee you’ll find near Lesotho).

    MALETSUNYANE FALLS: Roughly a 2.5 hour drive from Maseru, we partnered with another team in the area to rent a “bus” (15 passenger van) for M1300 to drive us to and from Semonkong. When we arrived in Semonkong, there is a lodge that you go to where you can hire a guide for approx. M100, ride horses for M300 or go rappelling down the waterfall (currently holds the Guinness Book of World Records for the longest commercially operated single-drop abseil at 204m (670ft)). If you choose the third option, you need to stay for at least two days – One day of training and the other day to make the jump! (http://www.placeofsmoke.co.ls/activities/maletsunyane-abseil/) There is a restaurant (we packed our own lunch to save $), gift shop and restroom at the lodge.

    THABA BOSIU: Highly recommended by locals, you climb up the mountain and learn the history of Lesotho (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thaba_Bosiu)
  2. Our host went with us to Thaba Bosiu, it’s BEAUTIFUL. It’s a mountain you hike up… we learned history about the country. It was R40 plus taxi ride. Pack a lunch, because there are no places to eat on site.
    We also went to Matsunyane Falls which are the tallest falls in Southern Africa. It’s roughly 2.5 hours away from Maseru. If taking a taxi, make sure they stay and wait for you while you hike to the falls. Tell them to take you to the lodge… that’s where you start the hike from and get horses if you want to ride them. When we went, some of the team rode horses to the falls which was R300, others hiked behind and it was free. I think if everyone hikes, you pay approximately R100 for a guide to take you to the falls. It’s roughy an hour and 15 minute hike to the falls – GO! You won’t regret it (There is a restaurant, gift shop, and bathroom at the lodge – we brought our own lunch).

Other Important Contacts

Other Important Contacts in Maseru, Lesotho
Additional ministry opportunities, local pastors, etc. Relationship & follow up suggestions

People’s Opinions

  1. In addition to supporting Beautiful Dream Society, we also worked with these organizations, followed by their website, mission, our relationship and suggestions;

    SEPHEO: (www.sepheo.org/) Sepheo identifies, reintegrates and educates children living and begging on the streets in Maseru, Lesotho’s capital. Out of poverty, we develop children who live with excellence. || We left Sepheo with a strong relationship; however, in the past they have had poor experiences with missionaries. We do not believe they would receive a team in the future – We were simply able to fill a need in our time here.

    BEAUTIFUL GATE: (www.beautifulgatelesotho.org/) Beautiful Gate Lesotho exists by reaching out to orphaned, abandoned and neglected children ages newborn to 5 years old, and gives them the love that they need and deserve. || We left with a strong relationship with Beautiful Gate; however due to their living situation it would be difficult for them to host a World Race team. It costs $150 per person, per month and they have several volunteers that visit throughout the year which would make it difficult to host 7 people for a full month.

    VICTORY CHURCH: (www.victory.church/maseru/) At Victory Church, we are a church that believes in equipping people to Live in His Presence, Move beyond ourselves and Be transformed into the fullness of Christ. || We attended this church for service every Sunday. It feels very Westernized – Great worship and the pastor speaks English very well. Highly recommended if you are looking for a church to visit.
  2. Our ministry host at Lesotho Save the Children attends ECG church, we went the first 2 Sundays. The second Sunday, a couple girls sang, gave testimonies and taught Sunday school to the kids.
    We also went to Soul Winning which we loved! We shared testimonies and sang as well. One of the ladies in the office at Lesotho Save the Children goes there.

Tips

People’s Opinions

  1. If you need an outlet converter (none of ours were the right kind), we found them for R50 at Atlantic Hi-Tech in Pioneer Mall. They also have free WiFi there!Lesotho Bible Society is a Bible manufacturer/warehouse/shop in Maseru near Pioneer Mall! They have brand-new Bibles, all sizes, in NIV, KJV, NLT, NKJV, ESV, Good News, and The Message. They also have Life Application Study Bibles and some other resources. Bibles cost about $10-20 which is a great deal compared to Bibles in the States. A few of us bought travel size Bibles there because our big study/journaling Bibles were too big to pack in our day packs or bring with us to ministry. Ask your host where it is and they can take you there or give you directions! 😀
  2. Lesotho Save the Children is a great ministry site and very hospitable. The rooms do lock but be sure the windows are not only closed but locked as well. Some of the kids crawled in through a closed window and stole a few items (nothing valuable, all replaceable).Also, be sure you communicate your plans with your host so she knows where you are. She will also help you hire taxis if needed. She is very open and don’t be afraid to talk to her if any issues arise. However, do set boundaries with both the host and the kids. Have fun, play, and show God’s love!

Additional Info

Additional Info in Maseru, Lesotho
Anything we’ve left out? Any additional suggestions to make travel easier for others?

People’s Opinions

  1. In Lesotho, their culture is big on sharing, especially food. It is considered rude to eat in front of someone who is not eating. Offering food to that someone is expected.At Tholoana ea Lerato, the house mothers fed us if we were in the house while the children were eating, so we made a habit of leaving the house if possible while the children ate (this was not always possible in the mornings) so as not to take food that could be used for the children.