When Aid Is About Relationships
“This is the most meaningful project I know of.” Her Excellency Ambassador Nts’ebo Esther Moshoeshoe.
This is what Lesotho’s Ambassador to Europe said at the celebration of the 15th anniversary of Norway–Lesotho: Connecting Future Leaders at Sandvika Upper Secondary School on 7. of October 2026
The Ambassador, based in Dublin and representing the Kingdom of Lesotho across Europe, praised the project’s lasting impact and thanked the students, teachers, and supporters who have made it possible. I was deeply honored when the Ambassador gifted me their latest traditional Basotho blanket as a thank you for my efforts—a gesture I will never forget.“
Among the guests was also Trond Filberg, Honorary Consul for Lesotho in Norway, who has supported the initiative for many years through information meetings and advocacy, and by participating in meetings with students and parents.
For those of us who have followed the project from the beginning, the anniversary was not only a celebration of the past but a reminder of what long-term commitment can achieve.
Lene Conradi, Mayor of Asker, praised the project’s long-term commitment, strong student engagement, and tangible results. She also expressed the hope that this unique international partnership would inspire other schools in the region to build similar international collaborations.
The story began in 2008 at a Microsoft education conference in Brazil, where I met Moliehi Sekese, a teacher from Lesotho. She taught at a school without electricity and with very limited resources. To give her students access to technology, she charged two laptops at home every evening and carried them to school each day. Moliehi was invited after winning a Teacher of the Year award in Lesotho. I was attending as one of the representatives of Sandvika Upper Secondary School, Microsoft’s Norwegian Showcase School that year. Despite coming from vastly different educational environments, we shared the same belief: that education can change lives.
Moliehi believed deeply in the transformative power of education. What began as a friendship grew into Norway–Lesotho: Connecting Future Leaders.
The name reflects a principle that has guided the project from the start. This is not a story about charity or rescuing others. It is a story about partnership, mutual respect, and shared aspirations. Young people in Lesotho possess the same talent, ambition, and potential as young people in Norway. What differs are the opportunities available to them. Through education, exchange, and cooperation, we seek to narrow that gap.
Every year, two teachers and four students from Sandvika Upper Secondary School travel to Lesotho to meet the schools, families and young people who receive support through the project. We also arrange for students and teachers from Lesotho to visit us.
Engagement at Sandvika extends far beyond the annual fundraising campaign. Students collect refundable bottles and cans, sell items and organise activities throughout the year. Individuals also contribute in their own ways. On their own initiative, teacher Silje Opstad and Kai travelled to Lesotho to deliver laptops and visit Ntebo, whom Silje has supported and stayed in contact with since 2013.
The local community also contributes. The American Lutheran Church has been a loyal partner and an important supporter of the project for many years.
At this year’s anniversary celebration, Moliehi returned to Sandvika, this time accompanied by two young men who, with the support from the project, have completed their schooling and are now approaching their final examinations at university and college. Their stories provide powerful evidence of the lasting impact that educational support can have on individuals, families, and communities.
During their stay, Moliehi and her son lived with me, while the two young men stayed with my former colleague Cecilie Mohr. Over the years, opening our homes has become a natural part of the partnership. We welcome our visitors from Lesotho not just as guests, but as friends, reflecting the relationships and mutual trust that have been built through fifteen years of cooperation.
Moliehi thanked the students, teachers, parents and other supporters at Sandvika Upper Secondary School for 15 years of cooperation. She particularly highlighted the friendships, cultural exchange and leadership experience the young people have gained.
Former students also shared their experiences.
Tobias L. Handeland spoke about how he quickly became fascinated by the project and decided to get involved. During fundraising campaigns, he found creative ways to raise money. On one occasion, he arrived at Asker railway station at five in the morning to sell coffee and pastries to commuters on their way to work. “There’s no limit to what people will pay at that hour,” he remarked.
Ralph also attended the anniversary celebration and spoke about his siblings, Lea and Ruben Khan Barstad, both of whom have travelled to Lesotho through the project. When Ralph started at Sandvika, he wanted to follow in their footsteps. As a result, three siblings from the same family have taken part in the project across three different student cohorts. Next summer, the family is planning a trip to Lesotho together.
Their stories reflect what many former participants have said: travelling to Lesotho offers more than insight into other people’s living conditions. It creates memories, friendships and perspectives that stay with them throughout their lives.
Aid is often measured in budgets, programmes, and performance indicators. Yet its greatest impact is often found in the relationships it creates. This project demonstrates what can happen when people meet as equals, build trust over time, and invest in one another’s futures. When young people from Norway and Lesotho meet, they learn not only about each other’s circumstances but also how much they have in common, and how education can open doors that might otherwise remain closed.
In 2025, Donald Trump referred to Lesotho during an address to Congress as “a country nobody has ever heard of.” The remark generated headlines around the world. (A golf Polo shirt sold at his Trump golf club suggests otherwise.) Times Live
For us, Lesotho is anything but unknown.
Over fifteen years, it has become part of our shared story. We know the people, their families, their ambitions, and their achievements. We have witnessed what education, friendship, and sustained partnership can accomplish.
And somewhere in a schoolyard in Lesotho, a ten-year-old boy is wearing a Haaland Norway football shirt, teaching his friends how to perform the Viking row.
It is a small moment.
But perhaps that is exactly the point.
Real change often begins with human connections.
Ann S. Michaelsen
Chair, Norway–Lesotho: Connecting Future Leaders
Former school leader at Sandvika Upper Secondary School
Lisa Gabrielsen
Teacher at Sandvika Upper Secondary School
Board member, Norway–Lesotho: Connecting Future Leaders