To our Supporters,

On behalf of the G.R.O Foundation Lesotho, I would like to take this opportunity to thank our Donors, CFLI, G.R.O Canada, GRO USA and European Union for their financial contributions towards the success  our programs. Another year has passed by and once again we have been blessed to see tremendous growth.

I would also like to further my sincere gratitude to the Lesotho Ministry of Education, our business partners both in Lesotho and overseas, G.R.O Canada and G.R.O Lesotho Volunteers for their unwavering support.

The G.R.O Lesotho wishes you all a wonderful and healthy New Year.

Best Regards,

Rethabile Skundla

The Lesotho Programs Manager

The G.R.O. Foundation Lesotho Programs Manager

Posted under Letters from Lesotho, The Movement

Heading into their final exams for the year the students of the Family Scholarship Fund have been very busy. The Family Scholarship Fund provides an additional learning environment and social support network based at Molapo High School in Leribe, Lesotho. The regular classes are supplemented by additional study sessions and support as well as an after school Leadership Club to participate in life-skills activities and confidence building. We were able to sit down with Abuti Kali, Abuti Tsoanyane, and Aussi Marahaba. These are their collective answers.

(Abuti means ‘brother’ or ’son’ and Aussi means ’sister’ or ‘daughter’ in Sesotho)

Students of the Family Scholarship Fund at Molapo High School 2010

Why is the FSF program important for students?

Not only does it offer educational support and the sponsorship to needy and vulnerable students but also provide students empowerment and the learning opportunities.

How has being a GRO Scholar helped you in your studies? How has it helped at home?

Being a G.R.O. Scholar has helped in many ways. It has given us an opportunity to attend school, relate with others in a good way and we have learned skills such as making decisions and working as a team. As GRO Scholars we have also been helped in the family in a way of supporting with human needs such as groceries and clothes during the winter.

What is your favourite FSF activity?

Leadership clubs especially team work activities. This is the most favourite FSF activity; it doesn’t only provide a refreshing environment, but also a very good way to relax and be in an enjoyable atmosphere for students.

What do you hope to do after you finish secondary and graduate as a GRO Scholar?

We would like to do social work, accounting & engineering. These are the careers which advocate for the country’s development.

Aussi Marahaba

Abuti Tsoanyane

Abuti Kali

Posted under Notes from Lesotho

All G.R.O. Artisans jewelry 20% OFF - Givings Thanks sale with Etsy

The women of the G.R.O. Artisans Collective have teamed with Etsy as their first international supplier with a beautiful collection of handcrafted and unique jewelry items. The pieces are made from a mix of locally sourced materials, such as mountain clay, prcupine quill, and cow horn, as well as upcycled products including glass bottles and paper products.

Until Thursday you can purchase any of these pieces for 20% off as part of the Giving Thanks Sale. This is one of the first chances many of you have had to purchase the jewelry that you have been asking so much about.

Give thanks this season with a gift of empowerment!

Posted under The Movement

Gifts of Growth 2010 campaign launches today

G.R.O. Canada is proud to announce the launch of the Gifts of Growth 2010 campaign!

G.R.O.’s Gifts of Growth campaign aims to honour the important people in our lives by providing you the opportunity to create positive change in the world. You can make a donation to the international poverty reduction projects of G.R.O. in the name of your loved ones this holiday season.  For your gift of any amount we will deliver a beautiful card describing the gift you’ve chosen and the social impact it will make in the developing world.  This card can be sent to you directly or can be sent to the gift recipient with your name and personal message.

For Immediate Release:

Posted under The Mission

We are very excited to bring you a Feature Q&A with an integral and inspirational figure in both the development and the future of The G.R.O. Foundation Lesotho. ‘Me Mapalesa Selialia is a founding member of the Grannies Poultry Association of Lisemeng II and an elected member of the G.R.O. Lesotho Executive Committee currently serving her second term as the Treasurer. We are very grateful to have ‘Me Mapalesa with us for this very special Q&A!

Why did you start the Grannies Poultry Project?

The project was started to raise chicks for sale, and the profits of which are reinvested into the project for the provision of social support to Beneficiaries.

How do the grannies help the community?

The Grannies help improve nutrition to vulnerable children, elderly and chronically ill. They also provide the home based care to chronically ill and for minor ailments:

• Supply food packages to the needy
• Treat minor aliments
• Sell fresh and tasty meat to the community at the affordable price.

Can you please explain what activities it takes to run the chicken coop each day?

• Check the chicks’ condition each time we enter the coop and record the findings when necessary. For example, check if the chicks are not ill.
• Clean the coop and change litters when the need arise.
• Clean troughs and give food and water to the chicks’ three times a day.

What does it mean to you yourself to be a strong part of G.R.O. Foundation?

It means that G.R.O. Foundation will never fail to support its projects; it will grow and spread to other districts or even countries. There are much of possibilities to achieve greater goals.

Why do you think it is important for people in Canada and the USA to support G.R.O. Foundation?

It is important so that G.R.O. Foundation will in turn continue to support, strengthen and empower social support systems under its care.

Posted under Notes from Lesotho

The G.R.O. CARE child daycare centre was started to assist mothers working in BEDCo (the small business compound that is home to the G.R.O. Artisans Collective and The G.R.O. Foundation Lesotho home offices) by offering low fee daily babysitting. When a mother drops here child off with ‘Me Rose, the G.R.O. Care babysitter, she can focus her energy on running her business. This initiative was developed to foster growth in the small business community to address the challenges faced by Basotho women running and engaged in small scale enterprise.

Posted under Notes from Lesotho

We are proud to recognize the contributions and selflessness of G.R.O. volunteer and all around amazing individual Aric Rankin!  As a recognized CBC Champion of Change Aric has dedicated himself to both national and international work and has volunteered throughout the world most recently with the Canadian Medical  Assistance Teams administering disaster relief following the devastating earthquake in Haiti earlier this year. On behalf of G.R.O. Canada and The G.R.O. Foundation Lesotho - Thank you, Aric!

Aric Rankin

Age: 28

Volunteers in: Leogane, Haiti; Leribe, Lesotho; London, Ontario

Category: International: Health & Wellness

Organizations:Canadian Medical Assistance Teams, Disaster relief in Haiti post earthquake (Jan.-Feb. 2010)Ontario Hospital Association, OHAfrica, Tsepong Clinic, Kingdom of Lesotho (May-Aug. 2009)G.R.O. Foundation, Leribe, Kingdom of Lesotho (July-Aug. 2009)

How long has candidate been involved in their current volunteer work?More than 10 years

How frequently do they volunteer?5 -10 hours a week

Why candidate is an outstanding volunteerAric doesn’t just volunteer, he lives volunteerism. He inspires and builds capacity in other volunteers then recognizes their accomplishments. He has international experience working as a nurse fighting HIV/AIDS and TB in the Kingdom of Lesotho May-August 2009, and with the first disaster response team for the 7.0 magnitude earthquake in Haiti January 2010. Aric gives continuously, also finding time to be chapter president of RNAO and a professional member of the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation.

How many people does your candidate’s volunteerism impact?More than 100 people

Why your candidate became involved with volunteeringAric began volunteering young and achieved the Chief Scout award. Diagnosed with ulcerative colitis at 16, he became more involved by sharing his experiences and coping strategies with other IBD patients. In 2005 he first exhibited self-direction in international volunteerism after witnessing the state of the education system while on vacation in Fiji. Aric pioneered health education and coordinated supply donations, stating we can’t help everyone, but in helping someone, we can never fail.

Awards candidate has received in the past for volunteer work.Registered Nursing Association of Ontario (RNAO) Certificate of Distinction Award, 2010University of Windsor Odyssey Award, 2010

Visit Aric’s CBC Champions of Change page

Posted under The Movement

The G.R.O. Artisans Collective was delighted to present a gift to the Queen of Lesotho from their 2010 collection for her birthday on June 2nd. For a long time, the Artisans had been looking for ways to get the Queen, who was born and went to school in their community of Hlotse, involved in their work, so this was a great opportunity to do so.

The gift that was presented for her birthday featured locally sourced porcupine quills and recycled glass elegantly mixed in with Tiger’s Eye to create the beautiful Lefats’e set. Not long after her birthday, feedback was sent to the Collective through the Queen’s brother who had been our liaison. This was not just a ‘post birthday thank you’ you might expect; She was so excited by the elegance of the local design that she sent the Artisans a purchase order for even more jewelry!

She asked for a hand crafted custom order of three sets of jewellery  made in the colour blue. You can imagine the excitement that filled the Collective upon receipt of the order. The artisans sat down to design the sets and they came up with pieces that featured recycled glass, mountain clay, and paperbeads. Her response was very positive and we hope that the relationship with the Queen will grow stronger now that we have earned her support of the beautiful work that theArtisans do.

‘Me Motseoa Seutloali

G.R.O. Artisans Collective Coordinator

Posted under Letters from Lesotho

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