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

Likano Mpoteli

 

Form D

17 years old

 When I have completed my high school, I want to go to university where I want to study nursing.  As we see that Lesotho is a developing country, it has few people who are educated.  For instances, we have so many people who are sick bu there are few nurses in hospitals to help them and they end up dying.  I want to help Basotho to stay alive because one day those people may become our presidents have improve our country.

At school, I like to do English, Accounts, Sesotho and Science.  The subject that is giving me a hard time is mathematics but I have tried to come through those problems buy asking some help to my schoolmates and my teachers.  They helped me and I am still going to them for getting help.

I like to play handball and watching the soaps like ‘Days of Our Lives’.  When I play handball, I feel like a new born child – I feel good with no stress.

Lesotho is a country of peace and stability, and everyone feels at home when they are in our country. Lesotho is a mountainous country and we have rivers, lakes and plants like trees and traditional herbs that we use as our medicines.  We have some places where keep the wild animals (national parks), rock paintings, historical places where we get to know how our grandfathers lived.  We also have the waterfalls and horse riding where we enjoy ourselves.

I want to work hard at school and pass my exams and get the help for the subjects.  I want to enjoy school, play handball and attend the clubs that we have at school. 

Posted under The Mission

Thakisi Makoe

 

Form D

17 years old

Respectively my dream career is that on my own, I need to be a farmer in life.  My farming can be able to cover some problems that are encountered by the family.  For if one of my family needs to be helped with needs like clothes, the farm like a chicken project, dairy, and rearing of sheep can be able to take cover against that problem.

I need to go to the university because there are so many challenges that have been encountered by the country while they are still making some findouts about how the economics of the country.  I need to go to university to share my ideas with other people from different places.  Sharing ideas about the economy can be managed to set the better future for the beneficial of Basotho and other people in the whole world.

The subject that I am very interested in are commerce, geography, accounts, mathematics, as well as Sesotho. I really need serious help in English Composition and letters as without passing there is no where a person can go because the universities and technicons need a person who has passed English.

If I could go to any country I would go to America or Canada because those people living there have changed my life in Lesotho from deep down.  They have introduced me on how to do things in such a way that I am on the safe side and to learn to plan for how one person can succeed in life.

-          I need to work hard to pass and be in Form E next year.

-          I need to change my life to make a better life.

-          I need to start the poultry project before end of winter.

-          I need to help other people in the community.

-          I need to respect all people, big and small.

This is written by a boy fighting against hunger and poverty, searching for a better economy and life style.

Posted under The Mission

Kopano Phakoe

 

21 years old

Form E

I would first like to give thanks to the Family Scholarship Fund because I could have not attended the school if this family was not there to help students who suffer about school fees, suffer in the house and many more. 

So my dream being in this family is that I want to be an accountant.   I think people who know things about money can help students who do not go to school.  I want to make some changes.

I would like to study accounts in the National University or Center for Accountancy. I am going to work hard there so that my dream can become true but it does not mean I am going to start to work hard there only.  I have already begun now.  The only thing left is to apply more effort in other subjects that I don’t perform well in.  My favorite subjects are mathematics, accounts, science, and chemistry.  English is very hard for me and Biology too.  I think if I can balance all the subjects I will get a good pass at the end of the year. 

Apart from the above, my hobbies in school are playing football and reading magazines.  I have found that these hobbies of mine are helping me a lot.  Such as magazines as they help me improve my performance in writing and reading English.

If I could go to any country, I would go to America so that I could get more information about a successful life and after I get that information, return to Lesotho to help students and provide the Scholarship Fund for everyone who has a serious sufferings in his/her life.

My target goals this year are as follows:

1)      I want to pass with First Class in my last year of high school. 

2)      I also want to be a pleasant example for the other students in this scholarship.

3)      I also want them to work harder but for them to work hard I should be a good example.

4)      I have also targeted that, at the end of this year, we all pass and to have that we should be co-operative to one another as we are now a family.

Everything is possible.

Posted under The Mission

Liekae Ntsalong - 2009 Student

New 2009 Scholarship Student

Form A

15 years old

My dream is to be a nurse because I want to be able to help the sick people and make a better living.  In this career, I will need to go to the university.  I like science, English, geography and business education. I want to work the hardest in science because I think it is the one which helps when one wants to be a nurse.  My hobbies are to play netball, to be an athlete and I like to watch games like football. 

My country Lesotho is the developing country and it has the attractive places like nature reserves and the dams like Katse dam.  There are so many tourists visiting Lesotho to see the enjoyable things like that.  It is a country where people earn their living by ploughing and there are so many fields for people to plough.

Posted under The Mission

A note from Lebohang Morai

My father passed away in 2000 and my mother can’t find work.   So this scholarship is a gift.  My goals are to listen carefully and perform well academically. I am planning on furthering my studies at the University.  I am planning to do my assignments, attend classes, read and ask questions where I do not understand so my chances of success could be very high.

When I look ahead in my future in five to ten years, I see myself as a successful young lady who has a degree or a higher qualification in Nursing or any other health-related field.

Posted under The Mission

A note from Tsoanyane Mososo

I am a Mosotho boy of seventeen years.  I stay in Leribe and attend school at Molapo High School.  I am an orphan and can’t afford to pay for my school fees this year. This year I am participating in so many activities such as the English Club and the HIV/AIDS club.  This scholarship makes me work hard, and I promise you that I will work very hard to get good results. I will obey my teachers and work hard to have a bright future.

Posted under Letters from Lesotho, The Mission

A note from Kefuoe Motabola

Thank you for this sponsorship.  I will use all the time that I have to do my school work because when I finish my high school level I would like to go o the University of Lesotho.  This sponsorship will help me to improve my life and I will make sure that I work hard to improve my life and also so that I will improve this world.

Posted under Letters from Lesotho, The Mission

It’s summer here in Lesotho and it’s hot. The rooster wakes up with the morning sun at 4:30 a.m. and all local activity begins. The mountain foothills are green and the maize fields indicate a bountiful harvest come fall. The thunderstorms that come almost every night shake the house and cut out the electricity. Mornings are busy but things slow down in the afternoon as the blanket of heat steers people under shaded trees. I’m happy it’s summer – everything is so alive.

The Maluti Mountains of Lesotho

Back in Lesotho for only a few days now, I’ve already had the chance to meet with many of our G.R.O. project members and leaders. It was great to re-connect with our projects and I was so pleased to see that they have all strengthened and grown within 2008. They are excited for all that can be done in 2009 and they send their thanks for all of your support this year. Thanks to those of you who contributed where you could, or participated in the Scholarship Challenge and Gifts of Hope campaign, The G.R.O. Foundation will be able to further expand its projects and support more people in Leribe, Lesotho.

The Family Scholarship Fund
The students of the Family Scholarship Fund at Molapo High School are enjoying their summer holidays and the end of the 2008 academic year. Three of our students have completed their final year and have just taken their graduation test. We are awaiting their results which will come in February as the results of their exams will determine which post-secondary schools they can attend. Tsepo aims to study tourism and Marosa and Maseliso are interested in a variety of disciplines. We delivered their Holiday Food Baskets at our annual end-of-year Braii (BBQ) and everyone is very excited to start the new academic year in January.
Our peer educators and academic advisors are busy preparing their teaching plans for 2009 and we look forward to welcoming new students as well in January.

Family Scholarship graduate Tsepo speaks about his experience at Machebang College to other scholarship students at Molapo at the 2008 end-of-year party.

The Grandmothers Support Group of Leribe
‘Me Mapalesa, a retired nurse clinician, runs the Grandmothers Support Group of Leribe. The Grandmothers group has two main projects: home-based care and community support through a poultry project. Home-based care is an incredibly important part in combating the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Even with the awareness campaigns and available treatment, the shame and fear HIV patients feel keeps them hidden in their houses – usually dying alone without any care or comfort. The Grandmothers Support Group works with the local chief to visit patients at home and help them get the health care they need. We delivered multivitamins, pain medications and kids vitamins to restock their Home Care kits.

The Grandmothers Group also started a poultry project in 2008. The Grandmothers raise broiler chickens and sell them locally. The Grandmothers also give the chickens to orphans and patients in the community and use the profits to provide for the needy in the community. Each member of the Grandmothers contributed funds to provide the start-up for this project while The G.R.O. Foundation matched their contributions. Because of your support, they have a brand new poultry house which can house over 300 chickens and within 2009 aim to build at least 4 more chicken houses to expand their project.

Thuli’s Jewelry Handicraft Cooperative
The Handicraft Cooperative is going really well. There has been a lot of interest generated both in North America and in Lesotho. The women are working hard and currently we are looking at solidifying our local systems and working to expand our international market. This project has so much potential and I look forward to working with the women to help it grow next year. We’ve started putting together the Thuli’s Jewelry starter kits and I can’t wait to start delivering them to the new cooperative members.

It’s great to be back – I’m happy its summer – and I look forward to keeping you all posted on the work we are doing in Lesotho. Keep an eye on our website and blog for future developments and updates!

Jean - G.R.O. Co-Director

Posted under The Mission

A Note from Matseliso Mataoe

I attend school at Molapo High School and I am in Form E this year.  I am a Mosotho girl with 19 years.  I would like to be a nurse because I have seen that here in Lesotho there are very few good nurses and many people are dying.  As nowdays, people die of diseases, especially AIDS; these infectious disease need more nurses to help people as I can see the death rate is high.
I would like to say thank you to people who are responsible for my sponsorship.  I am thankful for the opportunity to be one of the Molapo High School students.  If you had not helped me, maybe I would be someone who is useless with nothing to do.
Thank you and may God bless you. Please help sponsor other students like me.

Posted under The Mission