The theme of this year’s International Women’s Month, “Rights. Justice. Action” calls for action, not just principle, and focuses on accelerating gender equality by dismantling structural barriers, eliminating discriminatory laws and strengthening access to justice.
For Liepollo Tsekoa, Head of Brand and Marketing at Hollard Lesotho, the theme highlights the need to move beyond recognising rights on paper, to ensuring that they translate into meaningful economic participation for women and girls.
“In Lesotho, this theme is deeply relevant as women remain the backbone of our economy, from rural agricultural producers and informal traders to emerging entrepreneurs and corporate leaders. Yet access to finance, land ownership, mentorship and decision-making platforms remains uneven. Rights may exist in legislation, but justice is only realised when those rights translate into economic mobility and structural inclusion,” she says.
The systems shaping economic participation have a direct impact on the opportunities available to women and girls. “Access to capital, financial literacy and policy design directly shape outcomes for women and girls, particularly in rural communities where the opportunity gaps are most visible. Action, therefore, means being intentional about inclusive growth, who we fund, who we spotlight and how we build systems that enable participation at scale.”
For Tsekoa, leadership in this context carries a broader responsibility.
“Leadership requires the willingness to take difficult decisions that create sustainable pathways for inclusion, ensuring that communities and businesses reflect the diverse demographics of society, including women and girls,” she says.
Within this context, brand positioning and representation become increasingly important. “Our brand narrative has to reflect the full spectrum of our society across generations, socio-economic backgrounds and cultural identity.”
That includes reshaping how financial services — particularly insurance — are understood by younger audiences. “Inclusion must begin early by positioning insurance not as a distant, complex product, but as a simple tool for protection and empowerment to enable young people to insure whatever they may be unsure of. We’ve come up with creative ways to reflect the youth in our work, particularly through partnerships with targeted groups and most recently working with young new age famo and afro pop hip hop artist Sannere as a brand ambassador.”
The brand’s ambassadors reflect a broader generational story. The company’s long-standing ambassador, M’e Mpuse, grounds the brand in heritage and authenticity, representing continuity, wisdom and the lived experiences of Basotho families.
The addition of the youngest ambassador, baby Karabo, daughter of the late former ambassador Malome Vector, creates what Tsekoa describes as an emotional and generational bridge that speaks to legacy, protection and the future.
Hollard Lesotho continues to participate in financial education initiatives led by the Central Bank of Lesotho, contributing to efforts aimed at improving financial literacy across communities.
Hollard has also partnered with the National University of Lesotho, where lecturers use some of the company’s case studies and data as practical teaching aids within Business Studies programmes. “By grounding academic scenarios in real-life insurance solutions, the goal is to entrench financial literacy early and ensure that students engage with insurance not as theory, but as a practical tool for better financial planning,” says Tsekoa. “These efforts reduce intimidation around financial knowledge and encourage broader participation in financial systems.
The company has also focused on supporting grassroots economic activity. “We’ve gone far and wide in driving efforts to ensure financial inclusion with all Basotho. At the moment, we also ensure that the brand shows up where economic activity happens, including supporting platforms such as the Basotho Enterprise Development Corporation (BEDCO) flea market, which enables small and informal entrepreneurs to participate meaningfully in the economy,” Tsekoa says.
For Tsekoa, inclusive participation in financial services ultimately rests on ensuring that the country’s full demographic spectrum is represented within financial structures. She notes that one of the barriers to inclusion is that, too often, young women see insurance as something to think about later, when financial independence should include protecting what they are already building.
This perspective is also shaped by her personal experience. As the mother of a daughter, she says the importance of financial protection is something she lives, not just speaks about. Her 27 year old daughter already has her own funeral cover which she’s had since she was 24 years old and understands the value of travel insurance.
Financial protection, she adds, is also central to generational wealth-building. “It’s important that we build an insurance industry in Lesotho that is younger, more inclusive and more closely aligned with sustainable development of the country. We need to see stronger youth participation, not only as consumers but as contributors and innovators within the sector.”
“For the next generation, insurance should not be a grudge purchase or obligation but should become a natural part of financial planning. If we can achieve this, we would have truly made an impact.”
Liepollo Tsekoa is the Head of Brand and Marketing at Hollard Lesotho.
The Hollard Insurance Company Ltd is South Africa’s largest privately owned insurance group, offering both Life and non-Life product suites. Hollard International is the business of the company that extends insurance solutions outside South Africa and has operations in Namibia, Mozambique, Zambia, Lesotho, Botswana, and Ghana, as well as Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania through its significant shareholding in Apollo Investments Limited, the holding company of Kenya-headquartered insurer APA Insurance.
