The Inclusive Lesotho Election Cycle Support Project, co- funded by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) the European Union Delegation to Lesotho launched in 2025 to promote credible, inclusive and transparent electoral processes is supporting a BRIDGE Coaching and Mentorship programme. This intervention aligns with Strategic Objective 2 of the Inclusive Lesotho Election Cycle Support Project: Strengthen the capacity of IEC to administer inclusive, accessible, fair, and transparent election operations throughout all stages of the electoral cycle. Specifically, it addresses Output 2.2: ‘IEC’s capacities to plan and administer election operations throughout all stages of the electoral cycle are strengthened. Further, it also support IEC in the implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of the IEC Strategic Plan 2024–2028 through regular annual reviews and capacity enhancement for staff leading strategic objectives.

In response to growing demand for high-quality electoral training from both internal IEC departments and external stakeholders, the project seeks to establish a structured BRIDGE mentorship programme. In addition to the earlier IEC staff BRIDGE Training-of-Facilitators, relevant data and skills gap analysis point to the institution that aims for sustainable in-house mentorship mechanism to support facilitator development and reduce reliance on external experts.

The event therefore aims to provide structured mentoring, coaching, and technical guidance to strengthen facilitation skills, improve training design, and support progress toward BRIDGE accreditation. The Mentoring and Coaching BRIDGE training program for IEC Staff will help embed BRIDGE methodologies within IEC systems, enhance training quality and consistency, and ultimately contribute to a more capable and self-sufficient electoral institution. The following activities will be undertaken: comprehensive mentorship and coaching programme combining theory, practical exercises, simulations, and guided facilitation, the process should include the whole preparation to the actual BRIDGE workshop conduct, including reporting to BRIDGE headquarters, designing materials, preparation for the workshop. Also, support Facilitators in planning and documenting BRIDGE workshops, including online posting of events and completion of BRIDGE administrative requirements.

1. Deliver a five-day BRIDGE Curriculum development focusing on strengthening adult learning principles, facilitation techniques, and module design capabilities.
2. Provide one-on-one coaching, real-time feedback, and structured assessments of participant facilitation performance.