Toronto, Canada (1 March 2011) – In collaboration with the leadership and operations team of The G.R.O. Foundation Lesotho, GRO Canada is announcing a full transition for Lesotho programs to local personnel on March 31^st, 2011.

G.R.O. Canada seeks to alleviate the impact of global poverty on vulnerable communities everywhere by supporting grassroots development initiatives that build livelihoods.  The movement began six years ago when James White (Canada), Jean Margaritis and Greg Felsen (USA) launched a fundraising effort to support orphaned students and families affected by HIV in Lesotho, southern Africa.  The effort began with $3,000 CAD donated by Sharon Oatway in honour of her parents (and James’ grandparents) - John and Alice Oatway - committed volunteers and advocates for positive social change.

What began as a small collaborative effort between families in Lesotho and Canada soon grew to include advocates in several countries, and as of 2010, registered organizations in Lesotho, Canada and the USA.  The initial investment of $3,000 in 2005 enabled the creation of The G.R.O. Foundation Lesotho (registered in 2007), which is now funded by the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives, The European Union, and includes two self-financing social-enterprise businesses.

Moving toward full financial and program transition has always been G.R.O’s objective. “As a development workers who are wholly committed to sustainable social change, we have always reinforced the idea that successful and appropriately motivated international development workers must primarily advocate for the termination of their own roles,” says James White, Director. “Empowering communities means fostering local leadership, supporting local initiative, and promoting local ownership.”

Canada and GRO USA volunteers will continue to support the GRO Lesotho operations team with technical advice and support. As of March 31^st 2011, GRO Canada will no longer be pursuing private charitable funding on behalf of GRO Lesotho. Instead, we will be focusing on securing long-term development grants and promoting the financial self-sufficiency of the social enterprise collectives.

“This is a very exciting time for us,” says Jean Margaritis, Director of Programs. “We have reached a stage where the strength of the Lesotho team, and a desire to limit reliance on foreign charitable funding, makes a full transition appropriate and possible. We are very proud of the accomplishments and aspirations of the Lesotho team and look forward to assisting them through the transition.”

The successes mentioned above would not have been possible without the support, trust and advice of our many international supporters.  We thank you for supporting GRO Lesotho’s success and growth over the past six years.  As the final phase of transition begins on March 31^st we are very pleased to move forward knowing that the GRO effort has demonstrated that international social development can work – and that hope and solidarity do transcend borders.

More Questions? If you have any further questions related to the transition process or future of GRO Canada please contact James White at director@grocanada.org.

James White

Co-Founder / Director

Global Relief Outreach

director@grocanada.org

Posted under The Mission, The Movement, The Vision

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

In October, Megan Landes, Chair of the G.R.O. Canada Board and James White, Director of G.R.O. Canada/Lesotho travelled to our nations capital to speak with various MPs and Senators about G.R.O.!   We had the opportunity to meet with the Honorables Mike Savage (MP - Dartmouth/Cole Harbour), Glen Pearson (MP - London North), Bob Rae (MP - Toronto Centre) and Jane Cordy (Senator).  Megan and Jamie spoke about the work G.R.O. is doing in Lesotho and our future directions, particularly in Canada.  As a result we learned a great deal about Canada’s position on development and foreign aid.  We commend those working in Ottawa to make Canadian investment in developing countries have a tangible impact on the poorest and most vulnerable global communities.

Additionally, G.R.O. was announced on both the floor of the House of Parliament by the Honorable Mr. Savage and the floor of the Senate by Senator Cordy.  G.R.O. would like to thank everyone who helped make this possible, and we look forward to further developing our Canadian initiatives in 2010!

Megan Landes and James White in Ottawa

Posted under The Vision

Check out our Spring 2009 newsletter.  You can find it here.

Posted under The Vision

Lesotho my land
Lesotho my home

Among the countries you are the
Smallest, but beautiful and
Loving. The country which is
Made to accept everybody
Especially those who are homeless
To come and stay freely.

Lesotho the country of Basotho nation
The country which was captured but got
Its independence in 1966.
The form and the founder of Basotho nation,
Moshoeshoe I who brought peace and unity
In Lesotho. And Lesotho began to be the country
Of Basotho.

Lesotho my land
Lesotho my home

The country – a mountainous country
Lesotho with its dongas and valleys everywhere
Yes! Lesotho is the land of Basotho.

-Anonymous
G.R.O. Family Scholarship Student

Posted under The Vision

I’m an archaeologist. My research has brought me to southern Africa for three field seasons – a total of 9 months. Africa has always fascinated me; the images the Savannah with the lone baobab tree towering over the vast landscape; the majestic elephant plodding miles and miles towards an ancient memory of a lush waterhole; African women with babies tied to their backs and pails of water vicariously balanced on their heads; and of course, for me, the remnants of millions of years of human evolution buried deep in the ground.

I love the research that I do there. I uncover stone tools and other artifacts that were created by the ancestors of all of humanity. I work outside under the hot African sun, springbok and eland pass by us in the distance while we excavate, I take my lunch breaks at the river to watch the elephants spray themselves with mud to cool off, and I get to live in remote regions of Africa where the people are still fascinated by anything foreign and anybody “white”.  The team is accepted as part of the community and we get to immerse ourselves in new cultures and traditions. The people we meet are kind, generous, and excited about the work we do and want to help out.  We hire local people and try to include the nearby towns and villages in our projects. We seek the guidance and skills of the people who live there, live with them, work with them, and develop important relationships with them.

And then we leave. The field season comes to an end. We drive away in the Land Rover with the artifacts and information we have gathered. We want to come back to that region and we believe we will, but usually we don’t.  We get funded for a new project somewhere else, and we go there.

It hurts to leave and do nothing. With the memories of Africa comes the sadness. There are so many individuals and communities suffering from poverty and disease. People die every day secretly in their homes for fear of the stigmatism associated with AIDS. Children who want to go to school can’t afford to. Adolescents are raising their younger siblings because they lost their parents. People suffer from malnutrition and parasites and lack the medical supplies, clothing, and footwear that we take for granted. People have the same big dreams we do, but the struggle of everyday existence prevents them from ever becoming a reality.

That’s why I got involved with the G.R.O. Foundation. I am indebted to Africa for allowing me to conduct research there, for giving me the life-altering experiences I have had there, and for welcoming me as a traveler, researcher, and guest.  I have to give back.

Poverty and disease is a global issue. Every country is affected by it in some way. I don’t know if there is a way to end all the suffering in the world, but I do know that small acts of kindness can change somebody’s life. And that changing one person’s life can affect hundreds of others. If one student in Lesotho gets to attend High School because of the time and money I have volunteered, then I know I have had made a difference.   And, if I the experience I gain doing this internship with the G.R.O. Foundation and use it to ensure that I am always conducting fair and socially responsible archaeology, even better.

By Jayne Wilkins

Posted under The Vision

I wanted to start The G.R.O Foundation to let the people of Lesotho accomplish realistic goals in their own lives.  While working in the developing world, I found it so important for long term success to give the majority of responsibility and creative control of projects to the actual people in these countries, as they know how to best run the projects.  When we established The GRO Foundation we purposefully sought to set it up to enable committed groups of people the ability to make a positive change in their own communities.  We focus on providing resources and support when needed that they could not have obtained due to their economic or social situation.  By focusing on community led development you assist communities in strengthening from the ground up…this is the vision of The G.R.O. Foundation.

By Greg Felsen

Posted under The Vision

Working and living in the community of Leribe I met so many people who were committed to improving their lives.  I worked with students selling apples trying to make enough money for school fees, women struggling to feed and support their families with no income, and grandmothers overwhelmed by the burden of caring for their orphaned grandchildren.  Seeing this first-hand and knowing that with just a little bit of support and encouragement, these committed people could have the opportunity to change their lives for the better.  Working with James, Greg and the community members, The G.R.O. Foundation was borne.  The G.R.O. Foundation is a vehicle, an opportunity and the hope for the Basotho people which supports local solutions to local problems.

One of the most unique things about The G.R.O. Foundation is that the Basotho people have ownership of the projects – the projects have been selected by our local project leaders as projects that are beneficial to their community.  I see my role as supporting our local project participants and they manage and expand their projects, providing advice and guidance to build their capacity.

By Jean Margaritis

Posted under The Vision

In a country like Lesotho there is no shortage of talent, commitment, passion or belief. There is a distinct lack of resource, the funds and capacity needed to put plan into action, inspiration into actuality.  During my time at Tsepong clinic in 2005-2006 I met so many people in our community that were in need of support, that had dreams of a better life but no real opportunity to achieve them.  I spoke to so many students, mothers, grandmothers and community leaders about the concept of hope – about that unexplainable quality that makes some people bravely face incredible obstacle.

Life in Lesotho is not easy.  Despite the incredible ability and inner strength of so many of the people I met, the realities of extreme poverty and the ravages of the AIDS pandemic make even the simplest of dreams an incredibe struggle.  The vision of The G.R.O. Foundation was and is to connect these inspirational people to the resources and support that they need in order to make their dreams a reality.

In Lesotho, The G.R.O. Foundation has been incorporated as a non-profit organization where committed community groups and individuals can work together co-operatively to ensure that their separate projects succeed.  They can share resources, ideas and talents in order to support each other and benefit the community as a whole.  We have sought to ensure that project ownership in Lesotho is, and always will be, locally controlled, locally organized, and locally led.

The G.R.O. Foundation in Canada seeks to support the work in Lesotho by procuring the funds needed for project work, but more importantly by creating a movement of committed individuals that will increase awareness and advocacy about the situation in Lesotho.  Since I returned from Lesotho in 2006 I have been inspired to see a shift in the mentality of ordinary people in Canada.  People are finally beginning to see the realities of global poverty, AIDS, injustice and genocide.  They are starting to ask the right questions, most commonly “What can I do to support these people?”.  The vision of The G.R.O. Foundation in Canada is to give these individuals, committed to engaging in the developing world, an outlet for their inspiration, beliefs and passion for change.  One individual, when given the opportunity, can absolutely impact the lives of our global brothers and sisters in crisis.  We are seeking to provide an opportunity for that partnership to flourish, for people in North America to directly and significantly impact positive global change through simple acts and collective endeavors.

Social change has always been driven by small, committed groups of individuals - and our hope is that with every person that joins the G.R.O. movement we can provide more substantial support to our project partners in all parts of the world.

Posted under The Vision

Jean Margaritis
My life path seemed to take me directly to the work of The G.R.O. Foundation.  During my undergraduate studies in anthropology, I focused heavily on the shape and transformation of HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa.  I found the situation so compelling that I signed up for the US Peace Corps in 2004 and requested to be sent to southern Africa.  When I received my assignment as an HIV/AIDS to Lesotho, I was ecstatic even though I knew very little about the small mountain kingdom.  I was fortunate enough to live with a Basotho family for two years and experience the beautiful culture of Lesotho.  In those two years, I was surrounded by the reality of HIV/AIDS and saw very intimately how devastating the disease is to community.  It was this experience that propelled me pursue my Masters degree in Social Development and Health from the Institute of International Health and Development at Queen Margaret University in the UK.  After completing my studies, I returned to Lesotho to complete my thesis in participatory project development.   I am returning in December 2008 for one to two years to work with our local counterparts to develop and expand The G.R.O. Foundation’s projects in Lesotho.

Something keeps calling me back to Lesotho.  Perhaps it’s because of the strong bonds I have with the community, the pace of life, the red sand between my toes, or the sounds children laughing and the smells of homemade bread cooking over the wood fire.  Ultimately I return because of the people - because of our mutual commitments to work towards a better life for all.

Posted under The Vision