On a field in Sehlabathebe, Ha Mavuka (Lesotho), something unexpected happened this early 2026. People who had never thought of themselves as sporting – older community members, women, young children – showed up and joined in. And the elders then did something that stopped Nkopane Rajoale in his tracks: they brought out the traditional and indigenous games. Games that carried memory and meaning, shared across generations on an open mountainside in the Qacha’s Nek District of Lesotho.
Community sport is not only about competition. It is also about preserving cultural heritage, strengthening social connections, and creating a sense of belonging.
That moment – unexpected, unplanned, and quietly profound – was the clearest proof yet that what Nkopane had helped built was working.
A Community That Shapes You
Nkopane grew up in Sehlabathebe, Ha Jakopo, a remote mountain community surrounded by the breathtaking landscapes of the Maloti Mountains. Life there is peaceful and deeply connected – people know each other, support each other through difficulty, and take pride in Basotho culture and tradition. But it is also a place of real constraint. Limited sports facilities. Poor road infrastructure. Few employment opportunities. Long distances to travel for competitions, which often meant talented young athletes simply couldn’t get there.
For Nkopane, those limitations didn’t diminish the place – they shaped him. He learned resilience. He learned to improvise, using whatever community spaces were available, building with what was there. And he learned that football, which he had loved since childhood when they played on open fields with homemade balls, was more than a game. It was a way to give young people direction and hope.
He went on to establish the Sehlabathebe Water Lilies Football Club, focusing specifically on developing female players and promoting gender equality in sport. But he kept seeing the same thing: that many people in his community, women, older adults, children, had almost no access to organised physical activity at all. Not as athletes. Not as participants. Not in any form.
Building Something for Everyone
Through the TAFISA Certified Leadership Course in Sport for All, Nkopane gained the tools to turn that observation into action. Together with local community leaders, volunteers, and partners, he planned and delivered the Enhancing Community Health through Sport for All and Sound Life Choices project in Sehlabathebe, Ha Mavuka. Local businesses – Lekhetho Transport, Lechesa General, and Mavuka Supermarket – contributed with food parcels and logistical support, making the reach of the event possible.
The programme brought together football, indigenous games, relay races, tug of war, and recreational activities designed for people of all ages and abilities. Alongside the sport, Nkopane facilitated discussions on healthy lifestyles, the importance of regular physical activity, and making responsible life choices. The work strengthened his skills in project coordination, stakeholder engagement, and community mobilisation – and deepened his belief that sport, when it is truly for all, can shift something fundamental in a community.
What He Witnessed
The indigenous games moment stayed with him. Watching elders pass traditional knowledge to younger participants – not in a classroom, not through any formal structure, but through play – reminded him that sport carries culture as much as it builds fitness. That the greatest victories aren’t always measured in medals.
They are seen in a child who gains confidence, a young woman who discovers her potential, a family that embraces healthier living, and a community that comes together with a shared purpose.
He also witnessed something he hadn’t anticipated: people who had never considered themselves sporting discovering that sport was, in fact, for them. Side by side, old and young, women and children, competitive athletes and first-timers – they moved together. The programme, he says, challenged his own thinking. Successful community development happens when everyone feels included, regardless of age, gender, or ability.
From the Mountains, Looking Outward
Nkopane’s dream is to see Sehlabathebe become a model community – one where sport is accessible to everyone and recognised as a driver of health, education, and social development. He wants to see girls and women from rural Lesotho competing at national and international level, proving that talent is not determined by where you come from.
For now, he keeps doing the work. Regular football training sessions. Community sporting events. Advocacy for Sport for All, in every direction he can reach.
His message to anyone hesitating is the one he has lived himself:
You do not need perfect facilities or perfect circumstances to change lives. You only need the courage to begin.
SUCCEED Series: Stories of Impact
This story is featured as part of SUCCEED Stories, through the SUCCEED Framework. SUCCEED (Supporting Communities Empowerment & Development through Sport for All) is a global framework dedicated to fostering community empowerment and development through capacity building in Sport for All. Led by TAFISA in collaboration with the IOC through its Olympism365 strategy, SUCCEED aims to provide a unified and synergistic approach towards building the capacity of Sport for All stakeholders.