In Lesotho, shepherd boys climb down mountains to attend night school

In the mountain kingdom of Lesotho, thousands of boys and young men take up work as livestock herders, a profession that has long provided income and purpose but has also historically forced many to leave school early.

To address this, a small network of night schools has emerged, aiming to give working shepherds a chance to continue their education despite the demands of their daily herding duties.

Climbing down to learn

According to a photo essay documenting the effort, some of these young herders descend from mountain pastures each evening to attend classes, seeking to gain basic literacy and numeracy skills they might otherwise have missed.

The schools reportedly operate on limited budgets, relying on modest resources to serve a population of students whose daily routines are shaped by the demands of livestock work in Lesotho's mountainous terrain.

The initiative reflects a broader challenge faced in the country: balancing a long-standing herding tradition, which remains an important livelihood for many families, with efforts to expand access to education for the young people involved in it.