On Friday, March 20th, Kick4Life implemented a community outreach at the Good Shepherd Centre for Teenage Mothers. The visit focused on supporting the mothers and their children by donating clothing items and delivering life skills interventions.
The Good Shepherd Centre for Teenage Mothers in Lesotho is a residential facility that provides a safe, inclusive and supportive home for vulnerable teen mothers and their children, regardless of background. Established in 1995, the Centre on the Berea Plateau, approximately 20km from Maseru, was founded by the Good Shepherd Sisters of Quebec, Canada, who came to Lesotho in response to the social challenges brought on by the HIV/AIDS epidemic, economic hardship and rising youth unemployment, which disrupted family structures and increased the number of vulnerable children.
The Kick4Life Visiting Team included football academy players from the Fit4Work&Play programme: a training initiative that equips players with employable skills through work in Kick4Life’s various departments. Community service is an essential component of their traineeship, so the Players involvement in the Visit fostered a spirit of reciprocation and exchange. The Visit was led by Kick4Life’s Community Programmes Manager, Makatleho Pitso, and included Kick4Life’s trainee life skills coaches, who attended as part of the community service component of their curriculum.
Currently home to 19 teenage mothers with children aged between 4 months and 2 years, the Good Shepherd Centre delivers a holistic two-year programme designed to build resilience and self-reliance. Its approach combines academic education, vocational training in areas such as sewing, catering, decoration and farming, as well as life skills, childcare, parenting support and psychosocial counselling. Rooted in daily living experiences, the programme blends structured classes in Maths, English and Sesotho with unstructured, supervised interactions between mothers and their babies. In addition, the Centre offers early childhood development services for the children and those from surrounding communities, alongside free on-site healthcare to ensure the wellbeing of both mothers and their children.
Sister Paulina Tjamela, Manager of the Centre, explained that the centre’s mission to support vulnerable teenage mothers, many of whom have been rejected by their families. “We take them in, support them with education and skills, and help them rebuild their lives so they can care for themselves and their children,” she added. Many young mothers go on to rebuild their lives, with some securing employment and others pursuing careers such as in fashion design. She further noted that the centre extends its reach beyond its residents by assisting vulnerable members of the wider community whenever possible.
The Community Service Day officially opened with mutual introductions, setting a tone of openness and connection. Then the life skills coaches delivered a session focused on tackling HIV, taking personal responsibility, protecting life goals, and understanding gender rights. The coaches encouraged informed decision-making and aimed to equip the teenage mothers with knowledge they can apply in their lives. During this session the remainder of the Kick4Life staff cared for the children and played games with them, allowing the mothers to be fully focused, and to learn and interact in an encouraging and distraction-free environment.
An interactive discussion followed, giving the teenage mothers an opportunity to share their experiences, ask questions, and receive guidance. This exchange helped build confidence, strengthen connections, and reinforced for the Kick4Life team the value of giving community support. Clothing and footwear, generously donated by Kick4Life staff and volunteers, and thoughtfully collected and organised over time by the Community Programmes team, were later distributed to the teenage mothers, each of whom selected items suitable for themselves and their babies.
