By Neo Kolane
Communication practitioner Afelile Sekhamane founded a community empowerment programme called Khoro Marketing to help people to form cooperatives.
Khoro Marketing assists people who are interested in agribusiness.
The 58-year old hailing from Mphokojoane in Mokhotlong district told theReporter last week that it all started in 2014 when he was relocated from Hlotse to Mokhotlong by as the public servant.
He explained that he encountered a challenge of finding eggs because he did not want to buy them from Chinese-owned shops.
He said the chicken consumed has gone through unnecessary processes hence it is not fresh. He observed that chicken that consumers eat has been frozen and kept for too long.
The challenge then inspired him to form cooperatives that produce food.
Sekhamane then founded Lehe La khauta with MKG Egg farm in Mokhotlong district which produces eggs.
Lehe la Khauta is a product of Khoro Marketing.
Later on, Sekhamane started a concept Bophelo Bo Mobung which recently changed to Khoro Marketing so as to help community to be able to produce food for themselves.
He explained that the concept trains people about the richness of the land and how agriculture can contribute to the economy and create self- employment.
Under the concept, Sekhamane held a workshop with 32 able bodied people from villages in the Leribe district.
“These people had shown interest in agribusiness so that they can later form cooperatives after being trained. Another reason for the concept was the rising unemployment of able bodied people who are idling and later being consumed by drugs yet the land is vast and not being used to fend for people,” he stressed, while noting that the youth do not regard land as valuable for agriculture.
“Going forward I realised that there is a problem encountered which is that the youth say they do not have capital and a market.
“I therefore engaged a marketing specialist Motlatsi Tsatsi who also does business plans so that when cooperatives are established he can lead them to business plan making that can be approved at financial institutions.
“There is an additional of two people Moferefere Matlakeng and Masoabi Tṧilo who do business plan and teach the youth on everything related to business,” Sekhamane said.
He revealed that Khoro Marketing has a handful of achievement in terms of things it wanted to establish.
He indicated that as of now, two youth groups have been formed and are now registered.
“In October this year, more than 100 people have been invited to participate in the empowerment programme,” he warned.
Khoro Marketing is soon to reach a point of building companies and cooperatives in different places in Lesotho.
Afelile Sekhamane can be contacted on +266- 6282 2222
