13/08/2026
🎓🌍 Huge congratulations to Ms Palesa Litsiba, the 2026/27 Chevening Scholar for Lesotho! ✨she will be studying and MSc in Cyber Security at the University of Bradford.
Your success reflects dedication, leadership, and vision. As you head to the UK, may you gain knowledge, build lifelong networks, and return ready to drive positive change in your communities.
💡 For aspiring leaders: Applications for the next Chevening cohort are now OPEN!
This is your chance to study in the UK, connect with global changemakers, and unlock opportunities that last a lifetime.
👉 Apply here: https://www.chevening.org/scholarship/lesotho/
Deadline: 6 October 2026, 11:00
Read below to know more about our chevener!!!
1. What do you hope to achieve with your degree?
I hope to build a string technical expertise in the cybersecurity space that I can bring back to Lesotho, contributing to a safer digital space for my country while also opening doors for other young Basotho women to see themselves in this field.
2. What is your dream for Lesotho?
I dream of a Lesotho where technology and cybersecurity are no longer seen as distant, foreign fields, or fields meant mainly for men, but as real, accessible career paths for young people, especially young women, growing our digital resilience and indepence as a nation.
3. What motivates you to work hard?
What truly motivates me is being able to share my knowledge with others who need support. I also hope that one day I will be able to contribute to creating jobs for people who are struggling, God willing, and to help more women break into the technology and cybersecurlty sector.
4. What social causes are you passionate about and why?
I care deeply about supporting and landing a helping hand to young people, especially women who want to break into the technology space. Being in the technology field has made notice just how few women around me had access to this field, and I want to bve part of changing that, creating visible pathways for the next generation of Basotho women in tech.
5. Your proudest or greatest achievement.
Being chosen as a Chevening Award recipient is by far my greatest achievement. This Award is a confirmation of how much hard work, persistence, meaningful networking, resilience, and perseverance can lead to great rewards.
6. Who is your greatest inspiration or role model and why?
My greatest role model is Mrs. Confidence Staveley, founder of the CyberSafe Foundation and the CyberGirls program, who has dedicated her work to training thousands of women and closing the gender gap in cybersecurity in Africa. Her journey and vision align closely with what I hope to achieve, using cybersecurity not just as a career, but as a tool to empower others, especially women, across Africa.
7. Hobbies and interests
I enjoy watching anime, reading, learning, art (hoping to visit as many art galleries as possible), and growing my cybersecurity skills through participating in CTFs both with my team and individually.
8. Favourite line/quote
“Act, and God will act.” - Saint Joan of Arc
9. What excites you about being in the U.K.?
Being part of a community of scholars from all over the world, and studying in the UK, where there is a rich history in both academia and cybersecurity, in a course I am genuinely passionate about.
10. How did you know or hear about Chevening?
I first learnt about Chevening on LinkedIn when I connected with Chevening Alumni.
11. What does it mean to be chosen for Chevening?
It means so much more than funding for my studies. For me, it feels like a confirmation that my persistence, hard work, and perseverance did not go unnoticed, and this is a responsibility I don't take lightly, both to represent Lesotho well and to give back to my community once I return home.
12. What advice would you give to aspiring applicants?
Don’t let self-doubt talk you out of starting and completing your application. Be honest, be authentic, and trust that this process is designed to see potential rather than perfection. Above all else, don’t forget to connect and build meaningful relationships.
Big Congratulations Palesa, we wish you all the best!!! Make Lesotho proud!!!
Lesotho Government
Lehlohonolo Mantsi
Chevening Awards (FCDO)
Ministry of Education and Training - Lesotho
