Lilly’s One Day Shop: A Village Shop with a Story

Kevin Reid is a builder from Dublin. Around the time he first connected with the work of One Day, his mother Lilly passed away. Kevin made a decision. He wanted some part of what he had received as inheritance from his mother to create something lasting. That decision became a small shop on a mountain in Lesotho.

We named it Lilly’s One Day Shop in honour of his mother. There is now a shop in Ha Lebesa carrying the name of a woman from Ballyfermot! It is an unlikely connection, and a beautiful one.

As a block layer and builder, Kevin travelled with a team of lads from Ireland and helped construct houses on the mountain, working long days alongside local builders. He brought skill, strength, and commitment. The shop stands as one expression of that generosity a practical legacy shaped by both his hands and his heart.

Meeting a Real Need

Before the shop opened, families in Ha Lebesa often had to walk across the mountain to the next village, Ha Saboche, to buy basic goods. For items like gas cylinders used for cooking, this meant navigating dirt paths with wheelbarrows and heavy loads. Lilly’s Shop changed that.

Gas is now available within the village. Everyday essentials can be bought locally. What once required a long journey can now be done within walking distance.

The shop does not generate large profits. It largely breaks even. But in breaking even, it provides real value. It saves time. It reduces strain. It keeps small-scale trade within the community.

A Place of Work and Stability

The shop has also become home in a different sense. One of our young women transitioned out of care when she turned eighteen and did not have a stable place to go. She now runs the shop and lives in accommodation attached at the back. It provides income and security for her and her daughter. She manages stock, handles customers, oversees the daily rhythm of the shop and is doing a fantastic job.

This matters. For us, sustainability is not only about covering costs. It is about creating pathways where young people are not left unsupported once they reach adulthood. The shop provides that pathway.

Learning Through Responsibility

The shop has also become a training ground for our older teenagers. Some work shifts there, learning the basics of earning wages, handling money, and serving customers.

One small moment captures this well. A teenage boy arrived for work and realised there was no chair for him behind the counter. Rather than leaving it, he used the building skills he had picked up over the years watching Chris and others work. He built a chair for the shop. It is a small detail. But it speaks of ownership, initiative, and the blending of skills learned across different parts of life at One Day.

More Than a Shop

Lilly’s Shop has become something of a gathering place. There is often quite a buzz around it. People stop by not only to buy goods, but to talk, connect, and spend time together.

It sits naturally within the life of the village as part of the daily rhythm of Ha Lebesa.

Stewardship and Memory

The shop stands as a tribute to Lily, a mother from Dublin whose name now lives on in Lesotho. It stands as a testament to Kevin’s generosity and willingness to respond. It stands as a place of work for a young woman building a life for herself and her daughter.

It also stands as a reminder that sustainability does not always mean scale. Sometimes it means stability. It means breaking even. It means meeting a need faithfully.

Loving Stewardship involves using what we have (inheritance, skill, opportunity) in ways that strengthen others. Lilly’s One Day Shop is a small building on a mountain. But it carries a big story.