WYDE Women’s Leadership Factsheet – Lesotho

The WYDE Women’s Leadership Project in Lesotho is a national initiative led by the BAM Group Foundation to improve women’s participation in politics, leadership, and decision-making. The project is part of the broader WYDE Women’s Leadership programme and will be implemented across all 10 districts of Lesotho from March 2026 to October 2027.

Background

Although women make up a large proportion of Lesotho’s population and voters, they remain underrepresented in political leadership. According to 2026 data:

Women hold only 25% of parliamentary seats.
Women have even lower representation in senior political and local government positions.
Young women and women with disabilities face additional challenges.

Major barriers include:

Patriarchal social norms.
Limited mentorship opportunities.
Financial constraints.
Gender stereotypes.
Weak institutional support for women’s leadership.

Project Goal

The project aims to strengthen women’s political participation by:

Transforming social attitudes toward women leaders.
Building leadership skills.
Strengthening feminist networks and advocacy.
Promoting the inclusion of women with disabilities.
Supporting evidence-based advocacy and engagement with political institutions.

Key Objectives

The initiative seeks to:

Develop leadership skills among women and young women.
Promote positive public attitudes toward women in leadership.
Strengthen feminist and advocacy networks.
Increase participation of women with disabilities.
Improve collaboration with political and governance institutions.

Key Targets

The project plans to:

Train 300 women and young women in leadership and political participation.
Conduct district-level “Race for Parliament” programmes across all 10 districts.
Organise 10 community dialogues involving male champions to address social barriers.
Launch a national multimedia awareness campaign targeting more than 100,000 people through radio, digital media, print, and online platforms.

Main Activities

The project will:

Conduct leadership training and mentorship programmes.
Develop leadership and political participation toolkits.
Organise feminist dialogue forums and coalition meetings.
Hold advocacy roundtables with political institutions, media, and community leaders.
Engage communities and male champions to change social norms.
Produce radio programmes, videos, social media campaigns, and printed materials promoting women’s leadership.

Project Partners

The BAM Group Foundation will work with:

Young Women of Africa – Lesotho Chapter (YWA).
Youth Hub Connect Lesotho (YHCL).
Disability Empowerment Association Lesotho (DEAL).
African Parliamentary Press Network – Lesotho Chapter (APPN).

Overall Summary

The WYDE Women’s Leadership Project is a nationwide programme designed to increase the participation of women in Lesotho’s political and leadership spaces. By combining leadership training, mentorship, advocacy, media campaigns, and community engagement, the project aims to break down social and institutional barriers that limit women’s opportunities. Special emphasis is placed on empowering young women and women with disabilities, while building a more inclusive and equitable political system across all ten districts of the country.

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