‘Ha U Felle Mona’ Programme launched by UNICEF Lesotho and partners

UNICEF Lesotho and the Ha U Felle Mona programme are part of the same broader effort to keep vulnerable children connected to education and give them a second chance after academic setbacks. The programme was launched in partnership with FNB Lesotho, the Vodacom Lesotho Foundation, and the Ministry of Education and Training, and it began with 50 learners in Quthing.

Ha U Felle Mona is designed for learners who did not get the results they needed to move forward in the school system. Instead of treating a failed exam as the end of the road, the programme pays supplementary examination fees for selected learners and adds motivation and guidance sessions to help them regain confidence. That makes the programme especially important in a country where financial pressure can easily push young people out of school.

The phrase “Ha U Felle Mona” carries the spirit of perseverance: the message is that one setback should not define a child’s future. The programme’s purpose is not only academic rescue, but also emotional recovery, because learners who fail exams often lose confidence and begin to see themselves as “finished”. By combining practical support with encouragement, the initiative tries to change that mindset.

UNICEF’s role in the programme fits its wider work in Lesotho, which has long focused on child protection, education access, and reducing vulnerability. UNICEF’s country work has emphasized quality learning, early childhood development, and support for children who face barriers linked to poverty or social exclusion. In that context, Ha U Felle Mona is a targeted intervention that sits on top of a larger child-development strategy.

The programme also matters because school dropout can lead to wider social risks. When learners leave school early, they face higher exposure to unemployment, early marriage, and other vulnerabilities, especially in poorer communities. Supporting a learner to retry an exam can therefore have effects far beyond the classroom, because it can keep a young person on a path toward training, work, and greater independence.

Another strength of the initiative is partnership. UNICEF brings child-focused expertise, the Ministry of Education and Training links the effort to national policy, and the private-sector partners provide funding and social investment. That mix matters because education support works best when it is coordinated across public, private, and humanitarian actors rather than delivered as a one-off donation.

The choice to start in Quthing is also meaningful. Community-based rollouts often help programmes identify the learners most at risk and adapt support to local realities. A pilot in one district can also serve as a model for expansion if the outcomes are strong and the cost is manageable.

In a broader sense, Ha U Felle Mona reflects a shift in how education support is framed. Instead of focusing only on top-performing learners, it focuses on resilience, recovery, and inclusion. That is important in Lesotho, where many young people need a bridge back into learning rather than a completely new system.

Overall, UNICEF Lesotho and Ha U Felle Mona represent a practical, hopeful response to educational setbacks. The programme says that a learner’s worth is not determined by one result, and that support, not rejection, is what helps children continue their journey.