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

Greg Felsen

Khotsong! Peace to All.  My name is Greg Felsen and I am a founding member of the G.R.O Foundation. From August 2005 through December of 2007, I was living and working at Molapo High School in Leribe, Lesotho. My primary focus at Molapo High School was on establishing a strong infrastructure for sustainable agriculture projects that could generate income to support orphaned and vulnerable children. During this time, seeing the great need for support of many Lesotho youth, I teamed up with James White (a pediatric HIV nurse) and Jean Margaritis (a community advocate) to form The GRO Foundation.  Our first project, The Family Scholarship Fund was created to assist high school level students at Molapo High School. We didn’t want to be another program that simply gave funds. We sought to create a student family that supported each other and learned together in a lifelong and meaningful way. We established a program that incorporates teacher mentoring and peer tutoring as a central aspect. The students meet on a regular basis to discuss educational issues but also personal issues that they are facing.

The greatest moments I saw of the program becoming a family were when the students themselves started organizing support for each other relating to tutoring support from older students to younger ones and peer support when gathering for funerals in support of a student’s personal loss at home. In addition, I was moved when we would have the end of the year BBQ (Braii) and see all the family come together to cook and clean and just plain dance and have fun.  It was truly inspirational. I took a great interest in helping the other G.R.O related projects get off the ground and am committed to making them a success.  I look forward to sharing more stories about the students and the work that The G.R.O Foundation is doing in Lesotho.  There is so much potential and we hope to make an impact in creating a healthier world. Until then much love.

Posted under The Mission

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

The first couple of blog posts are meant as an introduction to the staff at GRO and those that will be writing for this blog. James White is the Director of Programs/Health and Social Manager and this is his story.

When I traveled to Baja Mexico as an orphanage volunteer in 1999 I had no idea that it would change my life forever. Having grown up in the Canadian prairies I must admit that my world view was fairly limited, I had never traveled outside of Canada and even trips to Edmonton or Calgary were big events in my life.  What I saw at the orphanage both inspired me but shook me.  I remember in particular a trip to the city dump in Vicente Guerrero where I saw whole families and young children rummaging through the massive piles of garbage looking for food.  It was at that moment that I asked a personal question that would change everything.  How can I live in a world where this is acceptable?

On my return to Canada I kept asking these questions, reading about international conflict, the still emerging gravity of the HIV/AIDS pandemic and crippling poverty throughout the developing world.  I found it increasingly difficult to find joy in my own life and developed a deep sense of the injustice plaguing our world.  Two more volunteer trips to Mexico followed and I soon transferred to Queens University where I completed a dual degree in Global Development Studies and Pediatric Nursing.  As a student I travelled to Durban South Africa as part of Queen’s Medical Outreach.  My experience there, teaching HIV education in township schools, confirmed my desire to devote my life to development and international advocacy.  In 2004 I was hired as a nurse at Tsepong Clinic (the place of Hope) in Leribe, Lesotho. With antiretroviral treatment finally becoming available to impoverished nations, I was one of five Canadian medical professionals sent to develop the first government clinic to address the AIDS pandemic in Lesotho.  My experience and learning throughout 2004-2005 in Lesotho cannot be put into words.  I experienced both the deepest and darkest aspects of the AIDS pandemic, a country dying by the thousands with no food, employment or apparent hope.  But I also experienced the other aspects of life, the resilience of a people bravely facing struggle, the demonstrations of courage and love that shake your soul when they are committed in the face of such overwhelming barriers. Miracles.

As my time at Tsepong drew to a close I knew that my commitment to Lesotho could not end there.  We initiated The G.R.O. Foundation as way to continue our support of that community and over the past two and a half years we have steadily grown, involving more students, projects and people…advocating in Canada and supporting families in Lesotho.  I am so excited about the future of The G.R.O. Foundation and the involvement of passionate students, advocates and individuals in Canada.  In November of 2008 I will return to Tsepong as an HIV Program Developer, seeking to continue the work I began as a nurse in expanding and strengthening the AIDS services available in the region.  We will also be focusing on supporting our local partners with The G.R.O. Foundation Lesotho, assisting them in strengthening the existing projects and doing more for the people of Leribe.

What began in Mexico nine years ago has never stopped changing me.  I still ask that question, ‘How can I live in world where this is acceptable?’ I finally know the answer.  I can’t.  I continue to fight struggle, speak out against injustice and although the road ahead is fraught with obstacles and overwhelming need I will continue to stand beside our global brothers and sisters that are facing death, violence and poverty. Standing together we will make a difference.

Posted under The Vision