As ‘Me Mapalesa and I waited for the rest of the group to arrive we sat in a still room and discussed the ways in which to strengthen the empowerment and collaboration initiatives of The G.R.O. Foundation Lesotho’s programming. Outside the chaos and noise of children on the Mount Royal Integrated Primary School grounds continued uninterrupted. We had arrived early to see a traditional Basotho dance presentation by a number of troupes and a choir, which includes both the hearing impaired and children with learning disabilities. We were waiting for a number of OHAfrica as well as G.R.O. members to arrive. ‘Me Maboitabiso, a senior teacher at the school and a member of the Grandmother’s Poultry Project, had rushed to assemble all of the students to ensure that all of the ex-pats living in Hlotse at the moment had the opportunity to experience traditional Basotho culture. My stay of 10 weeks in Lesotho is longer than most volunteers have the opportunity to partake in and for most this would be their only chance to see any of the native dance or song.

As the others arrived we were greeted by a row of welcoming teachers and escorted into ‘Me Maboitabiso’s large white classroom filled with waiting students. For the next 45 minutes the group of Canadians were treated to a number of different incredible performances that saw the visitors smiling, clapping, and even joining in to circle around the dancers dropping coins to those that we thought to be the hardest workers. For arranging the event we are very thankful to ‘Me Maboitabiso, all of the students who work so hard to put on amazing performances, and the rest of the staff at Mount Royal Integrated School. In appreciation The G.R.O. Foundation Canada presented ‘Me Maboitabiso and the students of Mount Royal with a Canadian Flag. Kea leboaha bo abuti and ausi!

In other G.R.O. news there were a number of noteworthy events over the past week. After some in depth discussions on the necessary need to renovate their chicken coop The Grannies Poultry Project an initial site visit was conducted last week by a reputable local contractor. We hope to see work begin before the end of the month and the facility to be operational by mid-July. We are still looking for donors to support the funding of a rainwater catchments system for the poultry facility so please do not hesitate to contact us if you are interested in helping.

The Artisans, especially ‘Me Mathabang and ‘Me Mamabula, have had an incredibly productive quarter with jewellery sales already up over 200% from the last quarter of 2008! We are incredibly proud of the accomplishments of the G.R.O. Artisans Collective (GAC) and now that the catalogue is complete we hope to have a few orders for the holiday season from North American distributors in shortly.

Finally, I want to thank Jane Thandi, Pinkie, Donna and Jillian at Help Lesotho Hlotse, Tyler and Beckie at Help Lesotho Pitseng, and Basotho Media for presenting a powerful documentary entitled Mother to Child (2001) in Pitseng last Thursday. The film covers the story of two pregnant HIV positive women, Pinkie being one of the two, as they traveled the road to motherhood hoping not to transmit the disease to their newborns. A large G.R.O. contingent made up of the GAC, the Grannies, and Marosa from the Family Scholarship Program, were in attendance for the film and provided strong feedback during the conversation period following the film. I would be remiss if I did not express my pride of ‘Me Mathabang who had the courage to share her story with the audience which can often be an incredibly stigmatizing and dangerous event. Again, thank you to all involved who made the event possible.

Tonight we bid farewell to two staff from OHAfrica who will shortly be returning to Canada. Thank you to Jessica Burry and G.R.O. Canada All-star Megan Landes for the work they have done here in Hlotse over the past few weeks. We will send them off with a proper Basotho meal prepared by ‘Me Mathabang. We will miss you at yoga and around the LHDA Compound! Khotso bo ‘me.

Sallang hantle.

Jason.

Posted under Notes from Lesotho

To begin, I must apologize for the delay in posting this most recent entry. As a novice volunteer in Lesotho until recently I had yet to experience my true initiation into working abroad in Africa. This rite of passage is symbolized by a few bed-ridden days and an attack of severe stomach flu. In penning this entry I am proud to announce my return to the outside world and my appreciation for all of the individuals from G.R.O., OHAfrica, and the Lesotho Boston Health Alliance for nursing me back to proper health.

Now, with that discomfort behind us I am really excited to fill you in on what has been happening on the ground here in Hlotse over the past two weeks. By all accounts there has been a flurry of activity as we have filled our days with multiple meetings and project reviews to strengthen our existing infrastructure. Currently, the entire G.R.O. Lesotho team has been spending the majority of our evenings and all of our weekends pouring over our most recent grant proposal in hopes of further expanding our capacity within the community. The process is integral to the growth of programming and resources for grassroots organizations such as ours and is one I am unfamiliar with so the work is excitedly breaking unfamiliar ground for me.

With the end of term winding down this week at Molopo High School we met with all of our Scholarship students for their quarterly academic performance reviews. The program ranges in age from Form A to Form E students, the Lesotho equivalent to North American Grade 7 to Grade 11, who all face distinct home life challenges most students have lost at least one if not both of their parents to HIV/AIDS. With some students falling behind in their studies the one-on-one meetings give us the chance to communicate with each student in a safe and comfortable environment without the social challenges of approaching teachers in a classroom setting.

During the academic reviews we were able to assess and address a number of challenges affecting some of the students work. A number of factors including poor eyesight, poor nutrition, and inability to seek academic help were uncovered leading to the disbursal of 3 Care Packages to students as a result of the reviews. The process of meeting with the students has consistently been one of my favourite activities because of the tangible benefits and social interactions the work provides in meeting with the children and young adults who are set to become the future leaders of their communities. Finally, I would be remiss without sending our congratulations from everyone at G.R.O. to ‘Ntate Mphana and his wife on the birth of their new baby girl!

Waking up in the Morning is becoming an increasing challenge as new days are met with the chill of frost filled nights. More than any other G.R.O. initiative the Grannies Poultry Project has encountered the most challenges with the onset of the cold weather. A lack of heating for the chicken coop due to poor insulation and no electrical wiring has seen the Bo Nkhono lose a number of chicks over the past week.

After our meeting last week we came to the unanimous decision to begin preparation for the renovation of the coop. The intention is to be as innovative and cost effective as possible by framing the inside of the coop and insulating the building using sawdust and removable sacks of chicken feathers. By creating a drop ceiling with sliding roof panels the Grannies will be able to regulate the amount of insulation in the roof simply by adding or removing stuffed sacks of feathers. This simple technology will allow the project to reduce monetary costs and environmental impacts by using readily available materials. The renovations are slated for completion by the middle of July.

The G.R.O. Artisans Collective has kept us all busy with far more than jewellery production over the past while. After a lengthy group effort the 2009 Fall – Winter Catalogue is complete. A huge thank you to Pauline for all her graphic design leg work, Jean for her photography, and our models ‘Me Mathabang, ‘Me Mamabula, Lexi, Jess, Thuli, and Jean for making my part in completing the catalogue much, much easier than it should have been! The final approval came today over lunch we watched ‘Me Mathabang, ‘Me Mamabula, excitedly pour over the first printed copy. After all of the hours that were put into the finished product there was little else that could have been more rewarding than watching the two women smile as they leafed through the pages showing their work. We will be posting the catalogue in its entirety very shortly but in the meantime please do not hesitate to contact us, artisans@grofoundation.org, if you would like to receive an immediate copy and order form.

Looking at my calendar for the rest of the week I can assure you there is no slowing down. The time is 7:45PM here in Leribe and I need to sign off as we still have one final meeting before the day comes to a close. After spending far too much time sitting on the sidelines I am grateful to be able to fill my day with this much activity. Thank you for taking the time to check in on our activities and please stop back shortly as I doubt I will be able to go a full week before writing to you again.

Salang Hantle,

Thuso Selialia

Jason.

Posted under Uncategorized

Well, this week is shaping up to be incredibly productive and one of the most satisfying since my arrival here in Leribe. Not too many days into my stay I became very aware that the business environment functioned at a far different pace to that with which I was accustomed to. The differences in the pace of change and swiftness of communication have been a welcome adjustment as the level of face-to-face interaction is greatly enhanced bringing with it more moments of genuine conversation. For example, when arriving at a meeting of any kind, no matter the level of formality, there is a proper social sequence and code of conduct to follow. Upon arriving and greeting the individual or group everyone needs to take a seat whereupon introductions and background history will be laid out. As I am new to the country this is a process that is necessary even if you have previously met someone. The challenge to this business style is that I have already had to work on the required patience to allow for the system to function properly.

Even with some of these challenges I am proud of what we have been able to accomplish since my last post. Today was a milestone for The G.R.O. Foundation as the Artisans Collective and the bo-me(women) received their Associations Trade License from the Government of Lesotho to sell their products within the country. The significance of this license is that we can now expand our sales and distribution to help the bo-me build on their current successes. We are very proud of this achievement and want to congratulate ‘Me Mathabang and ‘Me Mamabula on clearing another hurdle.

Secondly, the Grannies Poultry Project and the bo-nkhono (grandmothers) invited me to present their first business training and savings seminar. These women have dedicated their time over the past year to the success of one of their community’s first successfully run Basotho social enterprises. Having familiarized myself with the work they have already put into the project I was more than pleased to be their first presenter. The night was dedicated to some of the fundamentals including saving strategies to cover essential overhead costs, inventory management, bulk purchase discounts, and profit distribution to fund their social programming requirements. This is a group of bo-nkhono that are presenting an excellent example for the youth in their community and I am thrilled to be able to assist them in any capacity they require. The plan is to continue providing them with business training and assisting them to renovate their existing poultry facility. Please be on the look out for ways that you can get involved with the Grannies project as we launch our upcoming Gifts of Hope online catalogue.

To close out my post this week I want to emphasis that I am very fortunate to have had the chance to volunteer with The G.R.O. Foundation at such an exciting and fruitful period in its operations. To have the chance to work with so many motivated wonderful individuals on a daily basis is an incredible gift. To all of the friends I have met and all of the donors that allow us to expand the scope and capacities of The G.R.O. Foundation here in Lesotho – Kea Leboha!

Khotso Salang hantle.

(Peace stay well)

Thuso Selialia.

Jason Clark.

artisans@grofoundation.org

Jason, Mamabula and Mathabang working on the Artisans catalogue

Posted under Notes from Lesotho