Leanne is the newest member of the G.R.O. Lesotho Team having just arrived from Canada where she is a student completing her undergraduate work in Development Studies at Queen’s University in Ontario. Again, welcome to Lesotho. Let’s start your G.R.O. Q&A.

Having just joined us how has your welcome been into the team?

The whole experience has been great. Everyone has been very welcoming, kind, and there is a real sense of spirit in the G.R.O. office. Overall, I would say the work environment has been really friendly.

The LEAP Career Fair was your first experience with assisting in an event in Lesotho - what were your impressions of the event?

I thought that the event was fantastic. I had the chance to see the local student really enjoying themselves and from speaking to them during the Career Fair they took a lot out of it. Already I have heard of many people calling for more Career Fairs which shows that it was good for the students. Also, I think they had a good introduction to G.R.O. and we saw that there is a need for such programming in the country.

How do you think the team worked together to handle the 2,500 attendees?

Well I saw all of the prep work that went it the day and I came in at the tail end but the event was well organized.  Everyone worked well together - great team work! We made it through the day without any major glitches and it ran cohesively for the most part. The Molapo high school volunteers were also especially great to work with in the main Tertiary tent.

You have been working through a tough assignment over the past few days - can you tell everyone a bit about what you have been doing?

I have been analyzing the surveys and reviewing the data associated with that.

The team sent out pre-event surveys to collect information from students and there were volunteers at the Career Fair dedicated to giving out surveys to teachers and presenters. This has produced a pile of paper work that I have had the joy of going through.

overall, the trend from the pre-event student surveys is that many students didn’t know what their opportunities were and have little access to resources within their own schools. In terms of the event surveys the teachers and presenters thought that the Career Fair was a valuable experience.We are just now waiting for the post-event surveys to come in so we can do some comparative analysis.

Posted under Notes from Lesotho

Students from the Boston College Graduate School of Social Work paid a visit to G.R.O. in Lesotho as part of their international class that focuses on the changing face of women and children due to the AIDS pandemic.

13 students and their coordinators Lisa and Penny met with Jason and myself to discuss G.R.O.’s workand our philosphy before visting each project.  They first visited with the Artisans and went on a bit of a spending spree which made the Artisans convinced that 2010 will be big, and afterwards, enjoyed some local fare at Unique Silverspoon cafe.

Jason gave them a town tour on their way to the Grannies Poultry project where the students turned volunteers as they dug irrigation trenches and helped the grannies clean out the coops.  Just as the irrigation trenches were being dug, a huge downpour showered us but did prove that the trenches will work!  After some watermelon and cookies, the students headed to Molapo high school where they saw what a local school looks like.  Too bad schools out of session for summer so they weren’t able to meet the G.R.O. scholars.  A fabulous day here in Hlotse and we were really pleased to host our visitors from Boston College! 

Posted under The Movement

I taught the students about resume writing during this week’s G.R.O. Leadership Club Meeting (after a fun icebreaker: party style musical chairs – e.g., musical chairs with dancing – which the kids really enjoyed!)

None of the students had heard of resumes until this lesson.  After the students listened to an interview from a Basotho career mentor (a successful accountant) about the importance of a good resume when applying for jobs, I thought it would be good for them to get familiar with the structure of a resume and how to write one.  (I cringe at the memory of my own first resume which was 5 pages long!)  I definitely did not want the G.R.O. scholars to make the same sort of mistake – it’s better for them to get trained on the right way to write a resume earlier than later.

The students hand-wrote a draft of their resumes after receiving a resume writing 101 presentation and looking at a few examples.  It especially helped them to look at past resumes which were written by students at Masianokeng High School during a career guidance camp held by Rice University students this past summer.  They followed along with the format and got a good idea of what constitutes a good resume – as well as solid experience drafting one.  They will hopefully by able to type them out in the Molapo High School computer lab soon (the computers have been nonfunctional for the past few weeks).

Sophie Kim

G.R.O. Volunteer

Posted under Notes from Lesotho

As ‘Me Mapalesa and I waited for the rest of the group to arrive we sat in a still room and discussed the ways in which to strengthen the empowerment and collaboration initiatives of The G.R.O. Foundation Lesotho’s programming. Outside the chaos and noise of children on the Mount Royal Integrated Primary School grounds continued uninterrupted. We had arrived early to see a traditional Basotho dance presentation by a number of troupes and a choir, which includes both the hearing impaired and children with learning disabilities. We were waiting for a number of OHAfrica as well as G.R.O. members to arrive. ‘Me Maboitabiso, a senior teacher at the school and a member of the Grandmother’s Poultry Project, had rushed to assemble all of the students to ensure that all of the ex-pats living in Hlotse at the moment had the opportunity to experience traditional Basotho culture. My stay of 10 weeks in Lesotho is longer than most volunteers have the opportunity to partake in and for most this would be their only chance to see any of the native dance or song.

As the others arrived we were greeted by a row of welcoming teachers and escorted into ‘Me Maboitabiso’s large white classroom filled with waiting students. For the next 45 minutes the group of Canadians were treated to a number of different incredible performances that saw the visitors smiling, clapping, and even joining in to circle around the dancers dropping coins to those that we thought to be the hardest workers. For arranging the event we are very thankful to ‘Me Maboitabiso, all of the students who work so hard to put on amazing performances, and the rest of the staff at Mount Royal Integrated School. In appreciation The G.R.O. Foundation Canada presented ‘Me Maboitabiso and the students of Mount Royal with a Canadian Flag. Kea leboaha bo abuti and ausi!

In other G.R.O. news there were a number of noteworthy events over the past week. After some in depth discussions on the necessary need to renovate their chicken coop The Grannies Poultry Project an initial site visit was conducted last week by a reputable local contractor. We hope to see work begin before the end of the month and the facility to be operational by mid-July. We are still looking for donors to support the funding of a rainwater catchments system for the poultry facility so please do not hesitate to contact us if you are interested in helping.

The Artisans, especially ‘Me Mathabang and ‘Me Mamabula, have had an incredibly productive quarter with jewellery sales already up over 200% from the last quarter of 2008! We are incredibly proud of the accomplishments of the G.R.O. Artisans Collective (GAC) and now that the catalogue is complete we hope to have a few orders for the holiday season from North American distributors in shortly.

Finally, I want to thank Jane Thandi, Pinkie, Donna and Jillian at Help Lesotho Hlotse, Tyler and Beckie at Help Lesotho Pitseng, and Basotho Media for presenting a powerful documentary entitled Mother to Child (2001) in Pitseng last Thursday. The film covers the story of two pregnant HIV positive women, Pinkie being one of the two, as they traveled the road to motherhood hoping not to transmit the disease to their newborns. A large G.R.O. contingent made up of the GAC, the Grannies, and Marosa from the Family Scholarship Program, were in attendance for the film and provided strong feedback during the conversation period following the film. I would be remiss if I did not express my pride of ‘Me Mathabang who had the courage to share her story with the audience which can often be an incredibly stigmatizing and dangerous event. Again, thank you to all involved who made the event possible.

Tonight we bid farewell to two staff from OHAfrica who will shortly be returning to Canada. Thank you to Jessica Burry and G.R.O. Canada All-star Megan Landes for the work they have done here in Hlotse over the past few weeks. We will send them off with a proper Basotho meal prepared by ‘Me Mathabang. We will miss you at yoga and around the LHDA Compound! Khotso bo ‘me.

Sallang hantle.

Jason.

Posted under Notes from Lesotho

Well, this week is shaping up to be incredibly productive and one of the most satisfying since my arrival here in Leribe. Not too many days into my stay I became very aware that the business environment functioned at a far different pace to that with which I was accustomed to. The differences in the pace of change and swiftness of communication have been a welcome adjustment as the level of face-to-face interaction is greatly enhanced bringing with it more moments of genuine conversation. For example, when arriving at a meeting of any kind, no matter the level of formality, there is a proper social sequence and code of conduct to follow. Upon arriving and greeting the individual or group everyone needs to take a seat whereupon introductions and background history will be laid out. As I am new to the country this is a process that is necessary even if you have previously met someone. The challenge to this business style is that I have already had to work on the required patience to allow for the system to function properly.

Even with some of these challenges I am proud of what we have been able to accomplish since my last post. Today was a milestone for The G.R.O. Foundation as the Artisans Collective and the bo-me(women) received their Associations Trade License from the Government of Lesotho to sell their products within the country. The significance of this license is that we can now expand our sales and distribution to help the bo-me build on their current successes. We are very proud of this achievement and want to congratulate ‘Me Mathabang and ‘Me Mamabula on clearing another hurdle.

Secondly, the Grannies Poultry Project and the bo-nkhono (grandmothers) invited me to present their first business training and savings seminar. These women have dedicated their time over the past year to the success of one of their community’s first successfully run Basotho social enterprises. Having familiarized myself with the work they have already put into the project I was more than pleased to be their first presenter. The night was dedicated to some of the fundamentals including saving strategies to cover essential overhead costs, inventory management, bulk purchase discounts, and profit distribution to fund their social programming requirements. This is a group of bo-nkhono that are presenting an excellent example for the youth in their community and I am thrilled to be able to assist them in any capacity they require. The plan is to continue providing them with business training and assisting them to renovate their existing poultry facility. Please be on the look out for ways that you can get involved with the Grannies project as we launch our upcoming Gifts of Hope online catalogue.

To close out my post this week I want to emphasis that I am very fortunate to have had the chance to volunteer with The G.R.O. Foundation at such an exciting and fruitful period in its operations. To have the chance to work with so many motivated wonderful individuals on a daily basis is an incredible gift. To all of the friends I have met and all of the donors that allow us to expand the scope and capacities of The G.R.O. Foundation here in Lesotho – Kea Leboha!

Khotso Salang hantle.

(Peace stay well)

Thuso Selialia.

Jason Clark.

artisans@grofoundation.org

Jason, Mamabula and Mathabang working on the Artisans catalogue

Posted under Notes from Lesotho

I’m an archaeologist. My research has brought me to southern Africa for three field seasons – a total of 9 months. Africa has always fascinated me; the images the Savannah with the lone baobab tree towering over the vast landscape; the majestic elephant plodding miles and miles towards an ancient memory of a lush waterhole; African women with babies tied to their backs and pails of water vicariously balanced on their heads; and of course, for me, the remnants of millions of years of human evolution buried deep in the ground.

I love the research that I do there. I uncover stone tools and other artifacts that were created by the ancestors of all of humanity. I work outside under the hot African sun, springbok and eland pass by us in the distance while we excavate, I take my lunch breaks at the river to watch the elephants spray themselves with mud to cool off, and I get to live in remote regions of Africa where the people are still fascinated by anything foreign and anybody “white”.  The team is accepted as part of the community and we get to immerse ourselves in new cultures and traditions. The people we meet are kind, generous, and excited about the work we do and want to help out.  We hire local people and try to include the nearby towns and villages in our projects. We seek the guidance and skills of the people who live there, live with them, work with them, and develop important relationships with them.

And then we leave. The field season comes to an end. We drive away in the Land Rover with the artifacts and information we have gathered. We want to come back to that region and we believe we will, but usually we don’t.  We get funded for a new project somewhere else, and we go there.

It hurts to leave and do nothing. With the memories of Africa comes the sadness. There are so many individuals and communities suffering from poverty and disease. People die every day secretly in their homes for fear of the stigmatism associated with AIDS. Children who want to go to school can’t afford to. Adolescents are raising their younger siblings because they lost their parents. People suffer from malnutrition and parasites and lack the medical supplies, clothing, and footwear that we take for granted. People have the same big dreams we do, but the struggle of everyday existence prevents them from ever becoming a reality.

That’s why I got involved with the G.R.O. Foundation. I am indebted to Africa for allowing me to conduct research there, for giving me the life-altering experiences I have had there, and for welcoming me as a traveler, researcher, and guest.  I have to give back.

Poverty and disease is a global issue. Every country is affected by it in some way. I don’t know if there is a way to end all the suffering in the world, but I do know that small acts of kindness can change somebody’s life. And that changing one person’s life can affect hundreds of others. If one student in Lesotho gets to attend High School because of the time and money I have volunteered, then I know I have had made a difference.   And, if I the experience I gain doing this internship with the G.R.O. Foundation and use it to ensure that I am always conducting fair and socially responsible archaeology, even better.

By Jayne Wilkins

Posted under The Vision

I have worked for the past two summers in Lesotho as both a teacher and public health intern. Throughout my time there, I was able to have many conversations with youth about their dreams and hopes for the future. In particular, I remember one of my first days in Lesotho where I had the chance to travel to a remote village with a physician from the pediatric AIDS clinic where I worked. The physician was going to the village to give medical records back to the family of a young girl who had died of tuberculosis.  The doctor and a social worker then proceeded to test the siblings, the grandmother, and stepmother all for HIV.  Thankfully, their tests all came out negative.  Many people came from around the community to be tested too once they heard that someone from our clinic was there.  We hung out with the children of the village afterwards and spoke with two of them who were about 12 years-old.  They were in their last year of primary school. They said they want to be nurses when they grow up, but then we also found out that their families did not have enough money to send them to high school (only primary education is covered by the government of Lesotho).  Without a high school education, there was no way that these children could fulfill their dream of becoming nurses.  I was deeply saddened by this and wanted desperately to find a way to get these girls to high school. And I regretted ever having taken my own opportunities for granted.

These youth and thousands of others like them have been on my mind for the past few years and I have thought about how much a scholarship fund could do to help fulfill the promise of Basotho youth. I am so thankful for the new G.R.O. Foundation Scholarship Challenge and for the Gifts of Hope campaign. There is a dire need for funds to pay for such things as school fees, books, and computer literacy training. Giving through the G.R.O. Foundation initiatives will allow so many Basotho children that are full of potential reach their goals of moving beyond poverty and becoming what they once could only dream of.

Basotho children are wonderfully creative and talented. Day to day you can see interesting contraptions that they make to play. Anything from cars made out of wire, to instruments, to their own modes of transportation. As a teacher, I also always found my students so eager to learn. And if given an opportunity to flourish with an education, they will surely thrive.

By Sophie Kim, G.R.O. Volunteer

Posted under The Movement