The AIDS pandemic in Lesotho has left many grandmothers caring for orphaned grandchildren and terminally ill people living in their communities. In Leribe, Lesotho, an industrious group of grandmothers started the Grandmothers` Support Group to provide better organized home-based health care in their communities. To fund improved care, the Grandmothers` Support Group has started a small-scale poultry business. A gift of $30 will provide the grandmothers with 15 baby chicks, chick grain feed, and agricultural supplies. These supplies will help the grandmothers to to expand their business, the profits from which are used entirely for care in the community.

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Statement made on 21 October 2009 by Senator Jane Cordy

Hon. Jane Cordy:

Honourable senators, I take this opportunity to highlight the good work of Global Relief Outreach Foundation of Canada. Global Relief Outreach, or G.R.O. Canada, is a Toronto-based NGO, which is currently operating in Lesotho, South Africa.

G.R.O. Canada’s goal is to provide assistance to projects that are already in existence but lack the necessary resources and support needed to succeed. In Lesotho, G.R.O. is supporting projects that were initiated by local groups working in collaboration with development workers already living in their communities.

G.R.O. has three major projects in Lesotho: The Family Scholarship Fund and two social enterprise projects, Artisan’s Collective and the Grandmothers Support Group.

The Family Scholarship Fund provides academic support to orphaned and vulnerable high school students affected by HIV and creates environments that encourage collaborative support, strengthening students as young advocates to join together in supporting each other and their communities.

For the Artisans Collective project, the G.R.O. Foundation has provided start-up capital and supplies, facilitates handicraft training for women living with HIV, and has connected them with business opportunities locally and abroad. Over the past year, the collective has become completely self-sufficient, facilitating business growth with their profits.

The third major project, the Grandmothers Support Group, is an initiative that was created to help sustain a local HIV home care operation, run almost exclusively by grandmothers. G.R.O. has worked closely with the “grannies group” to build a small poultry production business where profits are invested in health care kits that allow the grandmothers to provide, and expand, home-based health care services throughout their community. As part of G.R.O.’s sustainable social-enterprise model, this project has also become entirely self-sustaining.

G.R.O. was created in 2006 by Canadian development worker James White and two American counterparts, Jean Margaritis and Greg Felsen, with start-up financial support provided by Toronto businesswoman Sharon Oatway. Two of G.R.O.’s founders continue to live in Lesotho and work closely with the project partners. G.R.O. Canada is now also governed by a volunteer board in Canada, including Dr. Megan Landes, Terry Aldebert, James White and by a volunteer executive team. The Canada-based G.R.O. operations team acts as secondary advisers to local projects, primarily focusing on linking local groups with international resources and maintaining the trust of donors through project follow-up.

As G.R.O. continues its work in Lesotho, Canada, the United States and throughout the world, they continue to guarantee that 100 per cent of donated funds are sent directly to Lesotho for direct project support and to benefit the project partners of the communities they engage in. G.R.O. Canada seeks to extend its mandate and mission throughout the world’s developing communities, committing to global development initiatives that respect cultural differences, provide direct and tangible support and link the people of Canada with projects making real difference in struggling communities everywhere.

Representatives of G.R.O. will be on the Hill this week. I look forward to meeting with them, and I encourage other interested senators to do the same.

http://www.liberalsenateforum.ca/In-The-Senate/Statement/6799_Global-Relief-Outreach-Foundation

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G.R.O. Scholars finished their last day of school for the 2009 term!  A big congratulations to Kopano who finished his senior year and will begin applying for university in February.  We are so proud of the students and the hard work they put in this year. Thank you to those of you who made it possible for 17 students to attend school this year.

A full-year, comprehensive student sponsorship is only $400 a year, or $100 a quarter.  Join us in ensuring that vulnerable students in Lesotho recieve an education that they need, and that they deserve, by sponsoring a G.R.O. scholar.  You can also support students who experience an unexpected crisis such as the loss of a parent through a G.R.O. Crisis Kit or help a graduating student like Kopano apply for university.  Join us in helping us support more students in the new 2010 school year.

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G.R.O. Scholars honoured World AIDS Day in Lesotho at the local HIV/AIDS clinic.   The Scholars handed out balloons, stickers and pencils to the children.  A big thank you to the Scholars for volunteering and making the day a special one for the kids at the clinic!

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The first day I could feel the potential strength of the sun was earlier today. I had changed into shorts after a day of walking throughout town to visit project partners and friends I had not seen in months. This morning, as I walked to the door of the office of The G.R.O. Artisans Collective, I was treated to two very pleasing sights. The first, a set of brightly painted signs announcing the office itself, and the second a group of three proud women and a beautiful baby girl who made their presence immediately known as they crowded the doorway. ‘Me Mamabula, ‘Me Momasebetsi along with her newborn daughter, and ‘Me Makhothalang were all beaming as they showed off the workspace and retail location they now call their own. Having the chance to see these women working from a storefront they manage was a proud moment for me as they had made great strides and overcome a number of obstacles to expand their business to the level that they were no longer forced to work from their homes. Today they could afford the operating, transport, and staffing costs to come to work daily in an office beside the bustling Hlotse taxi rink, the main area to catch transport to and from the town, in a government complex established for small local enterprises.

These thoughts came flooding back to me as I crossed the field of Molopo High School to meet at the LHDA Compound, known throughout the community as “Little America” for the number of expatriate health practitioners that take up residence there during their stays in Lesotho, with the members of The G.R.O. Foundation Lesotho Board to announce the CIDA funding which they will be receiving during the course of the forthcoming fiscal year. As a white male standing just shy of 6’2” I did my best to blend into the background of the meeting room, not the easiest of tasks here in Hlotse, to ensure that both Jean and Jamie received the appropriate attention for the hours of time that went into their preparation of the grant proposal. The Board’s reaction was one of elation as together we reviewed the program outline and what this funding meant to each one of the projects. During the preparation of the grant each partner was asked for their input into ways in which to they believe their program or business could advance. Sitting among the board members as they began to understand that these goals could now be realized was almost an overpowering moment and a sharp reminder of why I had chosen to return for the next few months.

This oddly was not the highlight of the meeting for me. During the introduction of the grant approval Jamie made mention that The G.R.O. Foundation Lesotho had been introduced into discussion during a sitting of the Canadian Senate. While the buzz of the news hung among the conversations between each of us in the room the project partners passed a small postcard of the Parliament buildings between them. Excitedly, I traded questions for information on my home as we discussed the possibility for theirs. The connection of being able to bring a piece of my country to theirs is one that hopefully will never grow tiresome no matter the strength of the sun.

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Robin Otto (Jean’s mom!) hosted two ‘parties for a purpose’ in northern Minnesota in October.  By inviting friends and family, the ‘Up North’ party raised over $500 for projects in Lesotho.  Thanks to everyone who came (and Robin for hosting) and supported G.R.O.! It was great to see everyone and we look forward to more nothern gatherings!  Learn more about throwing your own party for a purpose at www.grofoundation.org 

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On Sunday, October 11th, Carol and Brian Russel along with friends Steve and Donna Stricker threw what G.R.O. calls ‘A party for a purpose’.  Carol, CEO of Russel Herder, a marketing firm in Minneapolis opened her house in Brainerd to her network to listen to a short presentation on G.R.O. by visiting Jean Margaritis who directs the G.R.O. projects in Lesotho.  Jean also brought back jewelry from the G.R.O. Artisans Collective in Lesotho, which is a group of HIV positive mothers who design fashion jewelry.  Carol and her friends, from this party alone, contributed enough funds for a full-year student sponsorship in Lesotho.  Learn more about throwing your own party for a purpose or other ways to get your community or network involved. Thanks Carol and Brian for hosting and to all of those who attended this great party!

G.R.O. Artisan Jewelry

Carol, Jean and Emily at the jewelry display

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Throughout this week, I am taking the GRO Scholars to the local internet café here in Leribe for internet training.  The café only has one computer with internet, which we reserved for four days so that the students could go after school in groups of four or five.

I was a bit surprised to learn that not one of the students had ever used the internet before. I set up email accounts for all of our scholars so that they could learn email basics this week.  Each of them get 30 minutes on the internet, during which they learn how to log-in to their accounts, compose and check email, type in web addresses, and use search engines.  Leading up to this internet training, I had completed basic computer training with the students using the Molapo High School computer lab and individual computer time on my laptop.  During these times, the students were taught how to type properly and use programs like Microsoft Word and PowerPoint.

One of our GRO Scholars, Marahaba, said how she was so grateful to have learned the internet and how wonderful of an experience it was for her.  The students took notes when they were not sitting at the computer (the other three observed while I would show one different features).  Afterwards, they were looking up prices at the internet café (which is fairly affordable for the students) so that they could come back on their own time.  I hope they do so often!

Sophie Kim
G.R.O. Volunteer

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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.

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The G.R.O. Grannies welcomed G.R.O. members and the community to a Friday afternoon celebration to officially ‘open’ their new chicken coop!  Outfitted with locally-sourced insulation, new electrical wiring connected to hydro-power electricity, and rodent/weather proofed, the Grannies are ready to welcome their next new batch of chicks on August 1.  The new installations will allow the grannies to raise their day-old broilers in a secure, warm and rodent free location, decreasing mortality rates and increasing production (and profits).  The insulation and electrical wiring are keys to their success, as broiler chicks need to be kept at 96 degree temperatures.  Previously, the Grannies had relied on paraffin heaters ( a major fire threat) and had major rodent infestations that destroyed most of their food stores and spread disease.

They will hold an official ‘opening ceremony’ with their project beneficiaries later in August and will invite the community at large to view their unique poultry facility model for Lesotho.  The Grannies will begin their poultry production raising 200 chicks per month, with profits going to support the orphaned, chronically ill and elderly in their community.  Support their work by visiting www.grofoundation.org

With many thanks to Sharon Oatway and Verequest whose contribution made this construction possible.

Pre construction

Pre construction

Facility post-construction

Facility post construction

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