Calling all current and future G.R.O. Canada volunteers to meet up, team up, and spread the word about the G.R.O. 2010 Scholarship Challenge!

The Scholarship Challenge is G.R.O’s campaign to raise funds for Lesotho students whose families have been adversely affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Scholarships of $450/year provide one student the opportunity to attend High School in southern Africa and have access to life skills programs, career counselling, and library services that help ensure their success!

We need to spread the word to Toronto! We have the posters, we just need some help posting them at post-secondary campuses, community centers, cafes, and any other public places where people interested in our cause might hang out.

When: Saturday, February 20, 2010 10 am – 4 pm
Where: Gen Scott’s House – Gen is the G.R.O. Communications Officer.
What: We’ll gather at Gen’s house at 10 am for coffee and pastries and team up into small outreach teams of 2-3 people. Each team will be responsible for one segment of Toronto. Together, that team will go out to poster up the city (making sure to have any necessary permissions, of course).  We’ll regroup at Gen’s at 2 pm for cold refreshments.
What to bring: Your TTC pass (if you have one, we will make arrangements for those who don’t), staplers, tape, and/or tacks if you have some.

Who: Everyone is welcome! Please gather up your friends!

RSVP: If you are interested in joining, please email Jayne at jwilkins@grofoundation.org for details about the location of the event.

This is a fun way to really hit the pavement and get involved with G.R.O. We hope you’ll join us!

To learn more about G.R.O. and our family scholarship program, check out our website www.grofoundation.org.

Posted under The Mission, The Movement, The Vision

On December 1, 2009 the SFU AIDS Awareness Network held a campus-wide event featuring educational panels and a concert fundraiser.   The AAN was formed by students in the Faculty of Health Science (FHS) at SFU with the belief that everyone has the responsibility and capacity to contribute to the fight against HIV/AIDS.

Proceeds from the days activities were graciously donated to YouthCo AIDS Society in Vancouver and GRO Foundation.  Thank you to friend Eliza Seaborn and all the members of the AAN!

Posted under The Movement

Despite the downpour of the summer rains, ‘Mapalesa and the GRO team ventured to the local pharmacy to purchase non-pharmaceutical home-based care supplies.  ‘Mapalesa, a retired nurse clinician and the head of the Grannies Support Group, along with Carolyn, a Canadian nurse clinician volunteering with GRO, made a long list of supplies they felt would be helpful to stock in their home-based care kits.

Bottles of multi-vitamins in syrup form for malnourished children, bed sore ointment and personal care items for the bed-ridden, gauze and antiseptic for wound care, over-the-counter medicines for pain, and a general selection for the community’s ailments such as allergy medication, sinus and cold, and diarrhea. Extra strips for their blood sugar machine, and notebooks to track all patient care. Metal adjustable crutches and a walker on its way.

This weekend, the Grannies will diligently inventory their supplies and ensure that all of their members are well-stocked.  With the increased number of TB-patients and people bed-ridden by AIDS, the grannies home-based care work has never been more important.  Thank you to everyone who purchased a Grandmothers Care kit through our Gifts of Hope campaign for making today a possibility!

Posted under Notes from Lesotho

The first day of eight days of practical training here at the Grannies Poultry Project.  Poultry experts from Noch Solutions will conduct eight full days, over eight weeks, of hands-on, on-site training with the group.  After the first day, I’m exhausted.

The fist morning started by disinfecting and cleaning the coop, the waterers and feeders, and laying down fresh sawdust. The new coop, which was recently renovated by G.R.O. Foundation, can easily hold up to 400 meat birds.

By 12:00, Ntate Moshe and Jazzy arrived with 200 day-old baby chicks and 16 bags of feed.  Each chick was carefully unpacked and counted, while Thekanyane carefully dipped each chick’s beak in the waterers containing a special blend of electrolytes and sugars.

From day-old, these chicks will be 2.3kg butcher-ready meat birds in 6 weeks.  They will consume 1600 kgs of feed, and they will require a lot of work and attention.  The goal is to quadrouple production from 100 monthly to 400 monthly.  This major increase in production also means in increase in profits available to the Grannies Support Group.   The Grannies have recruited the help of three orphaned young adults in their community who will paid support workers on their project, creating jobs and developing sustainable skills.

We are looking forward to watching the Grannies and their chicks grow in 2010.  Thank you to everyone who helped purchase the chicks through the Gifts of Hope campaign, and to the Canada Fund who helped us provide the practical training. You can learn more about the project at www.grofoundation.org

Posted under Letters from Lesotho

Yesterday we collected 17kgs of beads that we ordered from our South African wholesaler as part of the start-up kits for the G.R.O. Artisans Collective.  Today we spent hours unpacking, counting beads, and dreaming of our new 2010 designs.  Thank you to the Canada Fund / Canadian High Comission for the purchase of the start-up kits, and thanks to the ladies for painfully counting every last bead.

Posted under Letters from Lesotho

There’s something about being part of The G.R.O. Foundation that I have been consistently unable to express in these blog posts. There is truly a feeling behind it all. What that feeling is exactly I can’t quite say. It could be the tempered optimism for the world or the shared belief that we are all engaged for reasons beyond what we can see at this moment. Maybe it has to do with the continued strength of the program initiatives in Lesotho. Since I first arrived last April the months drifted by and our fledgling organization has taught itself to walk through sheer determination.

A contemplative post is usually reserved for the ends of each year but I do not want to spiral into a list of previous achievements or inflated future projections. The G.R.O. Foundation is an example of a collective of individuals that have joined together to engage with the world in a different way. That sounds romanticized but it is obvious that there is nothing romantic about poverty, hunger, or the HIV/AIDS pandemic. The way forward only reveals itself through hard work and active engagement. The long days and countless hours truly are paying off as those around us take notice. G.R.O. has been able to secure grant funding and, thanks to your engagement and the tireless efforts of our G.R.O. Canada Team, we are in the process of wrapping up our most successful Gifts of Hope holiday campaign to date.

Last night we gathered together here in Hlotse – Jean Margaritis, James White, Carolyn Beukeboom, and myself - for a monthly update with our core G.R.O. Canada team in Toronto. At the end of it all - after the spreadsheet line items, the numerous dropped connections, and the continuous “sorry, can you repeat that’s” – you could tell everyone was drained. But, as I leaned back in my chair I watched the others in the room and you could see it in their eyes. They all felt the spark, too.

Sallang Hantle.

Jason Clark

jclark@grofoundation.org

www.twitter.com/GROjasonclark

Posted under Notes from Lesotho

A huge hit with all customers, pendants and earrings made out of Lesotho cow horn are a must have for 2010.  The Artisans cow horn products are made locally here in Hltose and will be one of our newest products on the eco-line.

First, horns are collected in the community and brought to the Artisans workshop.   After cleaning them, our friends at the local workshop help us to cut them into 2 inch square pieces which make it easy for us to work with.

Today, with plastic bags covering their hair, hospital masks and lab coats, the women of the Artisans Collective experimented with carving the cow horn using their new power tool.  It’s a dirty, dusty and smelly job and the hot summer weather doesn’t make it much easier.  However, their beautiful creations this week have proved that all the sweat and dust is worth it!  Wow!  We look forward to introducing our new ‘manaka’ line shortly!  Sign up for our newsletter at www.grofoundation.org for updates on the new eco-line. 

Posted under Uncategorized

Students from the Boston College Graduate School of Social Work paid a visit to G.R.O. in Lesotho as part of their international class that focuses on the changing face of women and children due to the AIDS pandemic.

13 students and their coordinators Lisa and Penny met with Jason and myself to discuss G.R.O.’s workand our philosphy before visting each project.  They first visited with the Artisans and went on a bit of a spending spree which made the Artisans convinced that 2010 will be big, and afterwards, enjoyed some local fare at Unique Silverspoon cafe.

Jason gave them a town tour on their way to the Grannies Poultry project where the students turned volunteers as they dug irrigation trenches and helped the grannies clean out the coops.  Just as the irrigation trenches were being dug, a huge downpour showered us but did prove that the trenches will work!  After some watermelon and cookies, the students headed to Molapo high school where they saw what a local school looks like.  Too bad schools out of session for summer so they weren’t able to meet the G.R.O. scholars.  A fabulous day here in Hlotse and we were really pleased to host our visitors from Boston College! 

Posted under The Movement