August 19, 2020 Naleli – As the world celebrates World Humanitarian day, here in
Lesotho we commemorate this special day with the ground breaking ceremony of
LNFOD's much needed head offices which will be an exemplary flagship building of
inclusive design in the country. The offices are being designed and built by rise
International – Relationships Inspiring Social Enterprise - a non-profit organization.
Established in 1989, LNFOD is a non-profit that represents organizations of persons
with disabilities. In order for the organization to grow, LNFOD has joined forces with
rise international, through the in loco fellowship program to design and build offices
that will serve as a beacon of hope for people living with disabilities. These will be
highly inclusive offices that will serve as a pedestal for all other inclusive spaces
present, and those to come.
Speaking on behalf of the organization, Nkhasi Sefuthi, Director of LNFOD, stated
that, "LNFOD requires to have its own building in order to increase its independence
and capacity as a civil society organization. LNFOD should be seen to practice what
it preaches by having an inclusive and accessible building, which can be used by all
persons with disabilities without any difficulties. The building should serve as the
model for accessibility in Lesotho as a way of sending a strong message to service
providers to make their services accessible to persons with disabilities.”
The groundbreaking event for this momentous occasion takes place at LNFOD’s site
in Naleli on Wednesday 19 August at 10a.m. Speaking on behalf of the main donors
from Austria, Simone Peter and Elmar Hagmann, had the following to say, "Ground
breaking is always a historical moment. In this case ground breaking has a special
significance for Sedlak GmbH and Brotfür die Welt who are partners in this symbolic
project. This building project is not only providing long needed accessibility to our
partner LNFOD but also creating learning opportunities for Basotho youth through
rise international ´s in loco project. To build an inclusive future for all, it is young
people and young entrepreneurs who should form an essential part of this. This
building will be a visible example of how we can learn jointly and as a society to
become more inclusive through creating accessible spaces.”

rise focuses on economic development through job creation and skills
development in the built environment through a practical “learning by doing”
design, build & entrepreneurship fellowship program. As rise’s Founder and
Executive Director, Daniela Gusman explains, “The process is as important as
the end result, as the design and construction of the building offers young
talented entrepreneurs the opportunity to gain essential practical work
experience through this live project where they get to do everything from
participatory design to project management, until the project is complete, under
the guidance and supervision of Basotho and international professionals. We are
very excited to be partnering with LNFOD, Sedlak GmbH and Brotfür die Welt for
this our third in loco fellowship.”