Her Majesty, Queen Masenate Bereng Seeiso hosted the 9th Queen’s Tea Party at the Royal Village in Matsieng on Saturday, March 30.The annual event is hosted as a fund raising event for the Queen’s National Trust, which helps needy children in Lesotho.

The glamourous event was attended by ladies from different walks of life including especially chiefs’ wives, (Mafumahali a Marena a Lihlooho), who shared the table with her Majesty, a deputy minister, diplomats, women leaders in the corporate and business sector, and ordinary citizens.Tickets for the 27 tables were bought by individuals and companies.

The common thread among all the women present was that they all looked elegant and beautiful in their dresses, with elegant hats, the signature of the event, being the icing on the cake. The Chairperson of the Queen’s National Trust, Mofumahali ’Matholo Seeiso indicated that the purpose of the trust was to help the needy children of Lesotho.

She applauded Her Majesty, Queen Masenate Bereng Seeiso for maintaining the legacy of the late Queen ‘Mamohato Bereng Seeiso who founded the Queen’s National Trust. This year’s theme was Pearls of Wisdom, a special dedication to the youths. The theme reminded all who were at the event that ‘we have been touched and influenced by many people who shared their pearls of wisdom and thereby making positive contributions in our lives’.

Her Majesty and the two guest speakers shared their perspectives on Pearls of Wisdom, a theme aimed at motivating adults to be good role models for young people by sharing their Pearls of Wisdom with them. The adults were encouraged to be there for youths, through knowledge sharing, encouraging them, instilling positive values such as caring, kindness and respect, in order for them to become
responsible adults.

Her Majesty highlighted the importance of promoting mutual respect of the other gender, among females and males. The adults were asked to reflect on how to scatter their pearls of wisdom carefully for the youths to pick them up and use them to enrich in their lives.

The highlight of the event was auctioning of various items which were contributed by the Queen’s National Trust and friends of the trust. The auctioned items included a uniquely designed bedside lamp, which was made by a Mosotho, a surprise item which was not disclosed, and two special Basotho blankets. One of the blankets was auctioned for M12,000.

Some of the auctioned items, including the blanket that collected the highest price, were bought by individuals, which shows that Basotho have the good spirit to contribute towards improving the lives of the other individuals. This further demonstrates that social responsibility is not only limited to the corporate sector. The deputy Chairperson of the Queen’s National Trust, Mrs Felleng Makeka, thanked all who made the occasion a success.

Though the event was mainly for fundraising, it was peppered with fun-filled activities throughout. Her Majesty walked around the tables to admire the efforts that had gone into setting up the tables. The ladies had an opportunity to display/flaunt their best tea sets and cutlery. Of course flowers were the main features on the table decorations.