In the Marakabei community of Botha-Bothe District, Lesotho, the Botha-Bothe Marakabei Sport for All Project is showing how play and physical activity can bring people together while improving health, inclusion, and lifelong wellbeing. Implemented between January and May 2026, the project reached 289 participants aged 6 to 80, including 161 women and girls, 128 men and boys, and four participants with disabilities.
The project responded to the limited opportunities for structured physical activity within the community. Led by graduates of TAFISA's Certified Leadership Course (CLC), the team worked with schools, healthcare providers, local authorities, businesses, and community organisations to create welcoming spaces where children, young people, adults, older people, and persons with disabilities could take part together. Its aims were to encourage active lifestyles, strengthen school-community partnerships, and promote gender equality - with participation, rather than competition, at the centre.
Community mobilisation began through meetings with local leaders, schools, health workers, police, and partner organisations, supported by community radio, social media, posters, and face-to-face outreach. Volunteers were recruited and trained to lead activities in their own community, and weekly physical activity sessions ran throughout the project before it culminated in an inclusive Sport for All Festival featuring games and recreational activities. Life-skills education was integrated throughout, helping participants develop teamwork, communication, healthy habits, and confidence.
The project increased awareness of the role physical activity can play in everyday health. Participants reported improvements in physical fitness, healthier lifestyles, and fewer injuries as they became more active, and several described needing fewer visits to health clinics after adopting more active routines. One participant shared how regular activity helped her overcome concerns about weight gain, restoring her confidence to wear clothes she had previously avoided.
The impact has extended beyond individual wellbeing. Relationships across the community became stronger, with increased trust, cooperation, and pride among residents. Families described improved communication at home, while parents valued having safe spaces where children could spend time together through positive activities. Alongside the delivery of life-skills education at Marakabei High School, the initiative trained local volunteers who continue leading activities and supported the formation of a rural economic development cooperative.
Participants captured the change in their own words:
"This initiative is proof that we have been given a chance to extend our lives."
"Physical activity is a protective barrier for people's bodies."
Looking ahead, the team is committed to keeping Sport for All part of community life. Marakabei High School has pledged to keep its facilities open for regular activities, while trained volunteers will continue organising play sessions and community events linked to international celebrations such as World Walking Day, Olympic Day, and the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace. Strengthening partnerships across the health, education, and community development sectors will help build on the progress already made.
The project demonstrates how inclusive, community-led physical activity can improve health and wellbeing while strengthening relationships and building a stronger sense of community. In doing so, it reflects TAFISA's mission of creating a better and healthier world through Sport for All, and contributes directly to the Sustainable Development Goals. By developing local leadership and community ownership, Team Botha-Bothe is helping lay the foundations for a healthier, more active, and more connected future across Marakabei and beyond.
By Team Botha-Bothe: Majoro Khale, Molibeli Rakauoane, 'Mantai Fatle, Ts'itso Maseretse, Makoro Hlompho, Refiloe Matete, Seeng Pebane, and Ts'olanku Sents'o
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