My first week in Leribe as a G.R.O. Volunteer has flown by. I have been kept busy with meetings at Molapo High School and getting situated here in Leribe. Leribe is much quieter than Maseru (where I have spent the past two summers), but I find myself very happy here and well situated. I was so overjoyed to return to Lesotho that I was nearly crying when I arrived at the airport. I am incredibly thankful for the chance to come work here again.

During the next two months, I will mainly be working with the G.R.O. Family Scholarship Fund. It is exciting to dedicate myself to a project that I feel so strongly about. I have spent the past week learning as much as possible about the scholarship program and the school. I spent last weekend studying the scholarship recipients’ backgrounds and family situations. It was devastating to learn about what circumstances the scholars were living in. So many have lost parents and/or have families suffering from long stretches of unemployment (it is very difficult to find work in Leribe at this time). One of the students had an unemployed grandmother who had to resort to begging to take care of her and her 6 siblings. Some of the students have lost everyone in their family to HIV and are living completely on their own. All of this reminded me once again of the great importance of having the G.R.O. Scholarship available for these children who have gone through the unimaginable.

When I met the scholarship recipients at Molapo High School last Wednesday with Jean to kick off the new quarter, they each introduced themselves and told me what they dreamed of becoming in the future - engineers, doctors, lawyers… It is rewarding to be part of this important initiative that enables them to turn their aspirations into reality.

AIDS Club

I have been a special guest of the AIDS Club at Molapo High School during the past week. I asked to attend a couple of the meetings because I have previously conducted HIV education in Lesotho. The group meets every Tuesday and Thursday to discuss HIV – how it’s transmitted, ways of prevention, HIV news stories, etc. The club meets out in the field behind the school where the students stand in a circle to talk about what they know concerning the virus. I was impressed by their knowledge and that they were committed to discussing the topic for 2 hours every week. They asked me about details related to transmission that they otherwise may have been embarrassed to ask in front of their club advisor (who is one of their teachers). I was surprised that there was one question after another for an entire hour from the group. I was very frank in describing details concerning how exactly the disease is transmitted – most of them don’t know these important details concerning HIV as many of their educators are embarrassed to talk about it with them. I admit talking about some of these topics can be awkward at times - and there is plenty of giggling from the students (I did the same back when I was learning sex education in school). But it is absolutely crucial for them to know these things in order to protect themselves and others.

G.R.O. After School Program

I love being here with the students. Any feeling of homesickness I might have goes away when I am with them. It never fails to amaze me how resilient the human spirit is. You see it everyday here with these students. They are so sweet, kind, and open even after all they have gone through.

I have spent the past week with the G.R.O. Scholars to kick off a new after-school program. The students meet Monday – Thursday and the program is designed to provide more social and academic support. Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday afternoons are made up of study hours for the students to work on homework and ask questions. Wednesdays are G.R.O. Leadership Club meetings which are for career guidance, confidence and leadership development, practical skill-building, and help with applications. The first week of the program went very well. The study hour periods helped students focus on their studies. The students also enjoyed their first club meeting, where we played icebreaker games and watched videos containing advice from successful Basotho on entering different career fields (e.g., medicine, accounting, data management, education).

I’m looking forward to continuing working with the students and helping them develop their interests and motivations.

Posted under Notes from Lesotho

This past weekend, G.R.O. in partnership with Business Development Trust from Maseru, provided 20 G.R.O. members and friends with a three-day business training seminar.  The program ‘BIZAIDS’ focuses on enhancing small business skills and our project partners learned about record keeping, successful business managment, marketing and sales.  HIV/AIDS was an integral part of the program as well, covering HIV/AIDS in the workplace, business policies, inheritance issues and wellness programs.  The program was conducted in Sesotho by a trained facilitator Mr. Lekoatsa and was held in Hlotse.

It was a fabulous weekend and G.R.O. would like to thank BDT for helping us make this important training a possibility.  We look forward to conducting future trainings in the upcoming months, helping small scale social enterprises such as the G.R.O. Artisans and G.R.O. Grannies succeed.  You can help support these trainings by visiting www.grofoundation.org and learning more about our grassroots enterprise philosophy.

Thank you to everyone who participated and our G.R.O. supporters who purchased the ‘Business Training Kit’ as part of the annual Gifts of Hope campaign.

Posted under Uncategorized

On August 6th Sophie Kim arrived from Houston TX to volunteer with The G.R.O. Foundation in Lesotho.  She will be working with the G.R.O. Scholars and teachers at Molapo High School.  She is also helping us to develop G.R.O. LEAP (Lesotho Education Advancement Program).

Sophie has worked in Lesotho for the past two summers in Maseru and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience. She joins us on a Wagenor Fellowship from Rice University.

Keep an eye out for her blogs and updates on the scholarship program!

Sophie and Molapo High School students

Posted under Notes from Lesotho