The G.R.O. Artisans Collective is a project that employs HIV affected mothers enabling them to provide for their families while empowering and educating themselves in small business practices. ‘Me Motseoa Seutloali is the Collective Coordinator for the business charged with supporting the women in the day to day operations while working to expand market share and brand exposure. After a string of successes including adding the Queen of Lesotho as a valued customer, a change of offices, and the addition of a daycare centre ‘Me Motseoa was able to take a breather to sit down for a Q&A!

With the recent office change you worked to organize a day care centre for young children to benefit not only the women of the G.R.O. Artisans but others in the small business compound in Hlotse - what impact has the day care centre had on the Artisans and what benefits have you seen to BEDCO as a whole?

The day care has received a very positive response from the mothers in BEDCO. Many say it gives them peace of mind to know that their children are taken care of within their vicinity. For the Artisans, the day care has provided them a second bonding place outside their workshop. I see this especially during the lunch hour where they gather the children around and play with them.

What new developments have the G.R.O. Artisans experienced since the change in offices?

We formed a link with the Likhetlane community based in the Leribe district. We met with different groups of women who might be our potential clay suppliers if they received training on how to make clay beads.  We also attended the Fouriesburg Spring Fair in South Africa where we made very good sales.

What are you working on currently to expand the business?

I’ve been trying to network and introduce the Collective to the Lesotho Tourism Development Corporation and the Ministry of Tourism, Environment & Culture. Plans to increase our retail locations both locally in Lesotho and internationally in South Africa are underway.

Running a small business is a constant challenge - What are some of the G.R.O. Artisans current challenges?

We do not have a reliable supplier for some of our products like porcupine quills and mountain clay. We usually purchase these products whenever we come across are a retailer who has them in stock which makes it very unstructured and dependent on chance.

We are also struggling to secure a reliable customer base for our bead shop.

And finally, in the next month we are planning to attend Lesotho’s biggest annual arts and cultural festival to showcase our products and do a bit of advertising, but we might be hindered by finances. It’s something we are working on though.

Posted under Notes from Lesotho

The G.R.O. Artisans Collective has faced a number of challenges with business expansion and an increasing number of mothers working as both jewelry designers and producers. The Collective gives these women a chance at financial stability and independence for themselves and their families. This opportunity, as great as it is, necessarily comes after their most important role of being a mother. With an influx of mothers comes an rush of young children and as the Artisans expanded their production and retail space they searched for a solution to the increasing number of infants that quickly became an office responsibility which is bound to happen with a roomful of carrying mothers. Recently, the Artisans and G.R.O. Lesotho came up with the solution of G.R.O. Care a small daycare centre supported by both parties and open to all other small businesses in the Hlotse BEDCo compound - a small business centre where the G.R.O. offices are located - to increase the productivity of all surrounding local business. G.R.O. Careis run by ‘Me Rose an incredible woman, mother, and grandmother who took the time out of her day to talk to us a bit more about the daily activity of the centre.

Posted under Notes from Lesotho, Uncategorized

To begin, I must apologize for the delay in posting this most recent entry. As a novice volunteer in Lesotho until recently I had yet to experience my true initiation into working abroad in Africa. This rite of passage is symbolized by a few bed-ridden days and an attack of severe stomach flu. In penning this entry I am proud to announce my return to the outside world and my appreciation for all of the individuals from G.R.O., OHAfrica, and the Lesotho Boston Health Alliance for nursing me back to proper health.

Now, with that discomfort behind us I am really excited to fill you in on what has been happening on the ground here in Hlotse over the past two weeks. By all accounts there has been a flurry of activity as we have filled our days with multiple meetings and project reviews to strengthen our existing infrastructure. Currently, the entire G.R.O. Lesotho team has been spending the majority of our evenings and all of our weekends pouring over our most recent grant proposal in hopes of further expanding our capacity within the community. The process is integral to the growth of programming and resources for grassroots organizations such as ours and is one I am unfamiliar with so the work is excitedly breaking unfamiliar ground for me.

With the end of term winding down this week at Molopo High School we met with all of our Scholarship students for their quarterly academic performance reviews. The program ranges in age from Form A to Form E students, the Lesotho equivalent to North American Grade 7 to Grade 11, who all face distinct home life challenges most students have lost at least one if not both of their parents to HIV/AIDS. With some students falling behind in their studies the one-on-one meetings give us the chance to communicate with each student in a safe and comfortable environment without the social challenges of approaching teachers in a classroom setting.

During the academic reviews we were able to assess and address a number of challenges affecting some of the students work. A number of factors including poor eyesight, poor nutrition, and inability to seek academic help were uncovered leading to the disbursal of 3 Care Packages to students as a result of the reviews. The process of meeting with the students has consistently been one of my favourite activities because of the tangible benefits and social interactions the work provides in meeting with the children and young adults who are set to become the future leaders of their communities. Finally, I would be remiss without sending our congratulations from everyone at G.R.O. to ‘Ntate Mphana and his wife on the birth of their new baby girl!

Waking up in the Morning is becoming an increasing challenge as new days are met with the chill of frost filled nights. More than any other G.R.O. initiative the Grannies Poultry Project has encountered the most challenges with the onset of the cold weather. A lack of heating for the chicken coop due to poor insulation and no electrical wiring has seen the Bo Nkhono lose a number of chicks over the past week.

After our meeting last week we came to the unanimous decision to begin preparation for the renovation of the coop. The intention is to be as innovative and cost effective as possible by framing the inside of the coop and insulating the building using sawdust and removable sacks of chicken feathers. By creating a drop ceiling with sliding roof panels the Grannies will be able to regulate the amount of insulation in the roof simply by adding or removing stuffed sacks of feathers. This simple technology will allow the project to reduce monetary costs and environmental impacts by using readily available materials. The renovations are slated for completion by the middle of July.

The G.R.O. Artisans Collective has kept us all busy with far more than jewellery production over the past while. After a lengthy group effort the 2009 Fall – Winter Catalogue is complete. A huge thank you to Pauline for all her graphic design leg work, Jean for her photography, and our models ‘Me Mathabang, ‘Me Mamabula, Lexi, Jess, Thuli, and Jean for making my part in completing the catalogue much, much easier than it should have been! The final approval came today over lunch we watched ‘Me Mathabang, ‘Me Mamabula, excitedly pour over the first printed copy. After all of the hours that were put into the finished product there was little else that could have been more rewarding than watching the two women smile as they leafed through the pages showing their work. We will be posting the catalogue in its entirety very shortly but in the meantime please do not hesitate to contact us, artisans@grofoundation.org, if you would like to receive an immediate copy and order form.

Looking at my calendar for the rest of the week I can assure you there is no slowing down. The time is 7:45PM here in Leribe and I need to sign off as we still have one final meeting before the day comes to a close. After spending far too much time sitting on the sidelines I am grateful to be able to fill my day with this much activity. Thank you for taking the time to check in on our activities and please stop back shortly as I doubt I will be able to go a full week before writing to you again.

Salang Hantle,

Thuso Selialia

Jason.

Posted under Uncategorized