How a Simple Gift of Clothing Restored Dignity and Hope for Moeketsi’s Family

By: Reentseng Phephetho, Communications and Digital Officer, Lesotho

High in the rugged mountains of Lesotho lies Ha Malephane, a village so remote that reaching the nearest town requires a two-hour journey and M116 in transport fares. Life here has never been easy for Moeketsi, a devoted father of three and caretaker of four other children. With his wife long gone to South Africa; sending little support back home; he shoulders the full responsibility of providing for seven young lives.

For years, Moeketsi’s greatest struggle wasn’t only putting food on the table, but clothing his family. He planted maize to feed them and occasionally sold a small harvest to pay school fees, but clothes were a luxury beyond reach. “In a number of years, I myself buy one trouser,” he said quietly, recalling that the last time he purchased clothes for himself was in 2014.

By the kraal, Moeketsi rested quietly, his worn clothing telling a story of hardship.

Cold winters were the hardest. “It really pained me to see my children suffering from cold because I could not afford buying them winter clothes,” he explained. His one-year-old granddaughter Lineo often missed clinic visits on icy mornings because she had no warm jacket. Even traveling to a clothing store was nearly impossible—both the distance and the cost of transport were beyond his means.

 “It really pained me to see my children suffering from cold because I could not afford buying them winter clothes,” - Moeketsi

Over time, Moeketsi’s own clothes became worn, faded, and torn. He began to avoid community gatherings and church services, ashamed of his appearance. “I had now lost my confidence as a man and I did not feel free to be within my fellow community members putting on torn clothes,” he admitted.

Moeketsi Showcasing his new clothes he received from World Vision

 “I had now lost my confidence as a man and I did not feel free to be within my fellow community members putting on torn clothes,” - Moeketsi

That changed in July 2024 when a message reached him: World Vision was distributing clothes to vulnerable families through its Gift-In-Kind Programme, supported by World Vision U.S. “I did not believe what I was hearing,” Moeketsi recalled. “Finally I felt my confidence being regained already. I felt the load being released from my shoulders.”

The package Moeketsi received was life changing. Inside were a tracksuit, a shirt, and a pair of white sneakers for him; winter tracksuits for his school-going children Lerato (13) and Liteboho (16); and a warm jacket for little Lineo. “I am feeling very confident, I look good in these clothes and I can now show up at church and community gatherings,” he said with a broad smile. He now attends school meetings and visits his children at the boarding school without hesitation.

“I am feeling very confident, I look good in these clothes, and I can now show up at church and community gatherings,” he said with a broad smile." - Moeketsi

Tsoenyane and her daughter, Lineo wearing a warm winter jacket provided by World Vision

His children were overjoyed. “Their friends at school told them they are beautiful and that they need to have the same clothes too,” Moeketsi shared proudly. For Lineo, the new jacket meant she no longer had to miss clinic visits. Her mother, Tsoenyane, expressed her relief: “I sometimes skipped clinic visits when it was really cold because I did not know what she is going to wear, but this jacket is very warm and really looks beautiful on her.”

Moeketsi treasures the quality of the clothing most of all. “The quality is very high, and when you look at the items we received, they are not found locally, they are unique,” he said, vowing to care for them carefully. “In the next 10 years, I will still be wearing this pair of sneakers because of the quality.”

“In the next 10 years, I will still be wearing this pair of sneakers because of the quality.” - Moeketsi

This was not the first time World Vision had supported Moeketsi’s household. In the past, his children received school uniforms, books, stationery, and food packages. Grateful for this ongoing partnership, he voiced a heartfelt dream: to see his children well-educated and employed to change his family situation, and to grow his own livelihood through crop farming. “I am really interested in crop farming and would appreciate being supported with inputs so that I can create a better livelihood for my family,” he said.

For Moeketsi and his children, a simple gift of clothing became far more than fabric—it restored dignity, confidence, and the belief that brighter days are possible.