Many of the women in Lesotho suffer from HIV and seek ways to both support their treatment and provide for their families. In 2009, The G.R.O. Artisans Collective was formed in Hlotse-Leribe, Lesotho to provide HIV positive mothers with an opportunity to make a living in jewelery design and sales. Your gift of an artisan`s start-up kit includes everything needed to help a woman to start making jewelry - tools, beads, supplies, and business training with the collective. The Artisans Collective offers fair wages along with critical health care and family support benefits for its workers. Give this gift.

Posted under The Movement

The AIDS pandemic in Lesotho has left many grandmothers caring for orphaned grandchildren and sick relatives. Your gift can provide an industrious Grandmothers` Support Group in Hlotse-Leribe with basic first aid supplies, vitamins and other necessities to provide better care for families in their communities. Many grandmothers in the support group are retired nurses and already provide a tremendous amount of community support. They just need additional basic supplies that will help extend the reach and breadth of their care.  Give this gift.

Posted under The Movement

100% of donated funds for the Grandmothers` Support Group, the G.R.O. Artisans Collective, and the Family Scholarship Fund are spent directly on those Lesotho-based projects. However, the Canadian team also requires support to scale-up our advocacy, fundraising and awareness activities here in Canada. By engaging Canadians, we can spread the message about global development issues and what can be done to relieve poverty. A gift to the Canadian GROwth fund will allow us to expand our Canadian operations as we seek to establish a permanent Toronto office, extend our campaigns across Canada, and maintain our administrative and operational needs. Give this gift.

Posted under The Movement

G.R.O. relies on our local executive Board in Lesotho for valuable insight to guide our community projects and strategic planning. A strong local board in Lesotho is central to the sustainability and success of our projects. The Business and Project Development Seminar fund ensures that board members receive necessary training in governance, project management, bookkeeping and human resources management. Your gift of $50 can cover the costs of a business and project development seminar for the local executive board. Give this gift.

Posted under The Movement

The temperature is dropping here in Leribe as we have peaked into the late days of Autumn. With the change of seasons The G.R.O. Foundation, along with all of our current projects on the ground, have closed out the summer months with strong results. As the newest volunteer member of the G.R.O. team I have recently arrived from Whistler, British Columbia, to assist in project and capacity development here in Leribe until the end of June. During my stay my main objectives are to enhance the current business model for the G.R.O. Artisans Collective to ensure continued stable growth through increased cooperation with the Lesotho government and to establish international ties to create market opportunities for the HIV positive mothers; to provide complimentary support to the Grannie’s Poultry Project in hopes of completing the construction on their first chicken coop with the addition of electrical wiring, heating, ventilation, pest deterrents, and a catchments system for rain water; as well as to assist in daily operations of the organization – such as maintaining this blog posting.
After arriving on 24 May I have been going nonstop to get up to speed on all of the current operations here and meet all of the community members that are involved and affected, directly and indirectly, by the support of our donors and volunteers. Already, I can say with confidence that there are real positive changes to individual daily lives happening in and around Leribe thanks to the assistance provided to G.R.O. for food, education, health care, and shelter. Two of the many introductions I have had that struck a chord with me were the G.R.O. Artisans’ ‘Me Mamabula, along her daughter Joyce, and Family Scholarship recipient Kopano Phokoe. When we first traveled just outside of Leribe to meet ‘Me Mamabula and her daughter Joyce at their one room home, where she currently designs and produces all of her jewellery I found a beautiful healthy three year old who, although a bit shy, was smiling interested to know who this new visitor was. As part of the Artisans Collective ‘Me Mamabula receives far greater than fair trade wages for her jewellery as well as business training that will allow her to become a leader within the Collective. On the second occasion I met Kopano at Molapo High School where despite having lost his entire family to HIV/AIDS and needing to travel for almost two hours to and from Leribe to attend school he maintains some of the highest marks in his class. Kopano receives funding through the Scholarship Crisis Fund to ensure his basic needs are met at home and that he can afford regular transportation to school. These are just two of the dozens of people I have already had the fortune and opportunity to meet in my short stay thus far. Both are examples of ways in which we are trying to give the people of Leribe a helping hand to realize their dreams and become leaders of their community.
This past Friday we celebrated National Worker’s Day with a large festival bringing together over a thousand people for traditional Northern Basotho music and local cuisine. The Artisans Collective was in attendance where ‘Me Mathabang and ‘Me Mamabula displayed and sold their fashion jewellery. This experience gave us the chance to experience the natural retail skills that ‘Me Mathabang possesses! The festival also gave all of the NGO newcomers a chance to experience some of the flare the locals have to offer. While the ex-pats received sunburns and basked in the warmth everyone else in attendance was wrapped in traditional Basotho blankets and seshoeshoe dresses to keep warm as they cheered and danced to the music. Thank you to all the members of the community, Lesotho Boston Health Alliance, and OHAfrica for coming out and supporting the Artisans Collective. Please check out the photos from the event.

Again, thank you for your support and sign up for our newsletter to keep infomrmed about project updates and ways to get involved in North America. Please feel free to contact me with any questions, concerns, or for information on how you can assist the G.R.O. Foundation and its initiatives in Lesotho!

Salang Hantle!
(Stay Well!)

Jason Clark.
artisans@grofoundation.org

Posted under Notes from Lesotho, Uncategorized

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

A note from Lebohang Morai

My father passed away in 2000 and my mother can’t find work.   So this scholarship is a gift.  My goals are to listen carefully and perform well academically. I am planning on furthering my studies at the University.  I am planning to do my assignments, attend classes, read and ask questions where I do not understand so my chances of success could be very high.

When I look ahead in my future in five to ten years, I see myself as a successful young lady who has a degree or a higher qualification in Nursing or any other health-related field.

Posted under The Mission

A note from Tsoanyane Mososo

I am a Mosotho boy of seventeen years.  I stay in Leribe and attend school at Molapo High School.  I am an orphan and can’t afford to pay for my school fees this year. This year I am participating in so many activities such as the English Club and the HIV/AIDS club.  This scholarship makes me work hard, and I promise you that I will work very hard to get good results. I will obey my teachers and work hard to have a bright future.

Posted under Letters from Lesotho, The Mission

A note from Kefuoe Motabola

Thank you for this sponsorship.  I will use all the time that I have to do my school work because when I finish my high school level I would like to go o the University of Lesotho.  This sponsorship will help me to improve my life and I will make sure that I work hard to improve my life and also so that I will improve this world.

Posted under Letters from Lesotho, The Mission

It’s summer here in Lesotho and it’s hot. The rooster wakes up with the morning sun at 4:30 a.m. and all local activity begins. The mountain foothills are green and the maize fields indicate a bountiful harvest come fall. The thunderstorms that come almost every night shake the house and cut out the electricity. Mornings are busy but things slow down in the afternoon as the blanket of heat steers people under shaded trees. I’m happy it’s summer – everything is so alive.

Back in Lesotho for only a few days now, I’ve already had the chance to meet with many of our G.R.O. project members and leaders. It was great to re-connect with our projects and I was so pleased to see that they have all strengthened and grown within 2008. They are excited for all that can be done in 2009 and they send their thanks for all of your support this year. Thanks to those of you who contributed where you could, or participated in the Scholarship Challenge and Gifts of Hope campaign, The G.R.O. Foundation will be able to further expand its projects and support more people in Leribe, Lesotho.

The Family Scholarship Fund
The students of the Family Scholarship Fund at Molapo High School are enjoying their summer holidays and the end of the 2008 academic year. Three of our students have completed their final year and have just taken their graduation test. We are awaiting their results which will come in February as the results of their exams will determine which post-secondary schools they can attend. Tsepo aims to study tourism and Marosa and Maseliso are interested in a variety of disciplines. We delivered their Holiday Food Baskets at our annual end-of-year Braii (BBQ) and everyone is very excited to start the new academic year in January.
Our peer educators and academic advisors are busy preparing their teaching plans for 2009 and we look forward to welcoming new students as well in January.

The Grandmothers Support Group of Leribe
‘Me Mapalesa, a retired nurse clinician, runs the Grandmothers Support Group of Leribe. The Grandmothers group has two main projects: home-based care and community support through a poultry project. Home-based care is an incredibly important part in combating the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Even with the awareness campaigns and available treatment, the shame and fear HIV patients feel keeps them hidden in their houses – usually dying alone without any care or comfort. The Grandmothers Support Group works with the local chief to visit patients at home and help them get the health care they need. We delivered multivitamins, pain medications and kids vitamins to restock their Home Care kits.

The Grandmothers Group also started a poultry project in 2008. The Grandmothers raise broiler chickens and sell them locally. The Grandmothers also give the chickens to orphans and patients in the community and use the profits to provide for the needy in the community. Each member of the Grandmothers contributed funds to provide the start-up for this project while The G.R.O. Foundation matched their contributions. Because of your support, they have a brand new poultry house which can house over 300 chickens and within 2009 aim to build at least 4 more chicken houses to expand their project.

Thuli’s Jewelry Handicraft Cooperative
The Handicraft Cooperative is going really well. There has been a lot of interest generated both in North America and in Lesotho. The women are working hard and currently we are looking at solidifying our local systems and working to expand our international market. This project has so much potential and I look forward to working with the women to help it grow next year. We’ve started putting together the Thuli’s Jewelry starter kits and I can’t wait to start delivering them to the new cooperative members.

It’s great to be back – I’m happy its summer – and I look forward to keeping you all posted on the work we are doing in Lesotho. Keep an eye on our website and blog for future developments and updates!

Jean - G.R.O. Co-Director

Posted under The Mission