Bataung Moeketsi
FORMER SOS Children’s Villages Lesotho (SOS CVL) beneficiary, Itumeleng Ralebitso will on Saturday host a concert dubbed Grateful Music Show at the Word of Life Auditorium in Maseru.
The show is her way of thanking SOS and will kick off at 6pm.
The 26-year-old songstress will be supported by Ghanaian Gospel artiste KingzKid, Zimbabwean alternative contemporary Christian gospel artiste Minister Allen Jenje and Step-Up Lesotho runner up, Nthabiseng Khetsi.
Ms Ralebitso is a Business Administration graduate and aspiring singer who currently works as the Sub Saharan Africa Coordinator for a DHL Lesotho and SOS programme called GoTeach.
She also has her own organisation called Sold Out which grooms young talent from Lesotho for international platforms.
Tumi, as she is affectionately known, said that the Grateful Music Show is dedicated to SOS and is intended to shine light on the work done by the organisation worldwide.
SOS CVL has been operating in Lesotho since 1998 and provides “both emergency relief and permanent aid to vulnerable children and young people in the country”.
“SOS has many success stories of young people who were once in devastating situations but now have become positive additions to the society and the economy,” Tumi said.
“Some of them have started businesses which can also contribute to the country’s job creation efforts.
“Lately, there has been a significant decrease in international funding coming to SOS, hence local help is required,” Tumi added.
At the age of six, Tumi’s parents separated and her mother was left to fend for six children.
Tumi’s mother fell ill and died when she was 11, leaving her and her siblings to struggle for several months before their grandmother alerted SOS CVL.
Tumi said the show was a reminder that despite one’s background, they can still make it and help their respective societies.
“We must be grateful for the efforts of the caretakers and people supporting the care facilities. I am doing this to show that there are creative ways to help,” Tumi said.
Through SOS, Tumi studied in Ghana at SOS-Hermann Gmeiner International College where she discovered her love for music and became the head of the school choir. She also joined Impact Project Ministries, a Gospel group in Ghana.
Tumi wrote a song titled Thank You for SOS and was invited to sing it at the SOS CV donor’s event in Dusseldorf, Germany in November 2018.
After catching the SOS CV Global team’s attention, Thank You was adopted as the SOS Global song. It was released in June 2019 and Tumi has travelled to Ethiopia, Germany and Austria to perform and share the story behind the song.
Tumi has been recognised by different organisations locally and internationally among them the American Embassy and the United Nations for her song.
