Friends of Lesotho

Metsoalle ea Lesotho Second Q uarter 2010 N ewsletter

President ’ s M es sage Lumelang, If you‟re in the northern hemisphere, I hope you‟re having a chance to enjoy the summer months. If you‟re in Lesotho, I hope you‟re enjoying the winter! As I write this, the 2010 World Cup is just about to begin in South Africa. In some recent phone conversations with people in Lesotho, I‟ve been told that quite a bit of excitement has flowed across the border to Lesotho. Hopefully some of the tourist dollars will follow the excitement. Over the past few months, FOL has participated in a couple of projects that have been making a difference in Lesotho. PCV Kaye Thompson started a project to finish construction and furnish some classrooms in Peka (see our first main article in this newsletter). FOL partnered with her in two ways: first by helping to collect funds raised by Kaye‟s friends and family in the US and transferring the money to her project, and secondly by matching some of the money raised by Kaye and donating the matching funds directly to her project. For the third year, FOL also helped out with the African Library Project (ALP) by donating money to support PCVs involved in the project. The ALP is a US-based organization that helps establish local libraries in Lesotho and other countries (www.africanlibraryproject.org). ALP involvement is a great secondary project for a PCV who will travel to villages and schools to help them organize and learn how to operate their local library. The past two years, Becky Banton was the Lesotho PCV supporting the ALP in the country. As

Becky nears her close of service date, Jackie Tipsword is transitioning into her role. The FOL grant is used to help them with the costs of traveling to and organizing the villages with whom they are working. FOL also continues its support of the Tuition Assistance Project and other volunteer projects (a selection appears in each newsletter). A change to the FOL bylaws was passed at the last annual meeting that affects future annual meetings. In the past, the FOL annual meeting was always held around October 4, Lesotho Independence Day. The bylaws change allows the Board of Directors to hold the annual meeting around March 11, Moshoeshoe Day. The main reason for the change was so that the annual meeting could fall after the financial annual reports are complete at the end of December. One impact of the change is that there will be a fall newsletter this year, but no annual report. The next annual meeting will be held in March 2011, and the annual report will be mailed out at that time. Finally, FOL is looking for more board and committee members. If you have a couple of spare hours a month and would like to get involved, please consider joining the board or a committee. It‟s a great way to keep in touch with Lesotho. The new FOL website has a “Contact Us” page you can use to let us know you‟re interested, or you can email one of the board members for more information. Salang Hantle, Richard Rowan FOL President

Photo courtesy: Don Hanford, RPCV

Inside t hi s is sue:

President’s Letter

1

Family Literacy Lesotho 2 FOL Helps Peka English 3 Medium School Family Literacy Lesotho 4 Book Order Form Family Literacy Lesotho 5 Books for Sale Lithaba tsa Lesotho

6

RPCV Continuing Commitment

7

Bits & Pieces

8

Treasurer’s Report

9

FOL Marketplace

10

Lifetime Membership

11

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Metsoalle ea Lesotho

Fa m i l y L i t e r a c y L e s o t h o / Malapa a Balang Lesotho Despite Lesotho‟s high literacy rate, it has no bookstores. Even its most formally educated citizens will say, “We don‟t have a reading culture.” No wonder! Reading begins at school, in a new language— English, which is not spoken in most Basotho homes—and instruction focuses from the start on preparing the very best students to pass the daunting Cambridge Overseas School Certificate exam at the end of secondary school. Many yo u n g children in the US have quite a d i f f e r e n t experience with reading. They sit on their parents‟ laps or snuggle beside a sibling in bed, looking at and hearing about brightly colored pictures of magic animals and dreams that come true. Such children grow up with a deep love of books that affects their emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual development throughout their lives.

In 2006, Professor Jane Hale of Brandeis University was training teachers of literature in Lesotho when she noticed even they didn‟t like reading very much. She went to Boston University‟s Dr. Barry Zuckerman, founder of Reach Out and Read, a domestic pediatric literacy program, with the idea of starting an international pilot site in the Baylor Pediatric AIDS Clinic in the capital city of Maseru. Basotho families enthusiastically welcomed the thousands of beautiful children‟s picture books distributed through

the program. In many cases, these became the only books other than the Bible in a family‟s home. Parents soon began to request picture books for young children written in Sesotho.

Written, illustrated, copyrighted, and published by Basotho in Lesotho, these books are vehicles for, as well as a potentially important component of, Lesotho‟s rich cultural heritage. Two more books were recently published: Mebala ea Likhomo by Nkhono Sefora „Maisaka Mohloai with illustrations by Peter Maphatsoe, a book about Basotho cattle, and Liboko ea Basotho by Peter Maphatsoe, with pictures and praise poems about Basotho clans.

Founded in 2007 by Professor Hale, Family Literacy Lesotho (FLL) has about 40 volunteers from all sectors of Basotho society, including several Peace Corps Volunteers. FLL‟s mission is to encourage the development of beautiful children’s picture books in Sesotho about Lesotho and put them in the hands of Basotho children. FLL‟s first project was to sponsor a nationwide Sesotho story-writing contest, to which 288 entries were submitted from every corner of the country. Her Majesty Queen „Masenate M oha t o S e eis o becam e FLL‟s patron, indicating the importance of the chi ld r en ‟s picture book project to the preservation and enrichment of Basotho culture. In 2008, FLL published the first ever children‟s picture books in Sesotho about Lesotho at the country‟s historic Morija Press: Buka ea Melumo, a book about animal and vehicle sounds, by Jane Kathekiso and Kamohelo Tlhalong ea Ngoana oa Mosotho, about traditions welcoming the birth of a Mosotho child, by Peter Maphatsoe

In 2009, with a matching grant from Rotary International, Professor Hale helped artists Peter Maphatsoe and Thabo Sefuthi organize and open a Family Art and Literacy Centre in Khubetsoana, a populous neighborhood on the outskirts of Maseru. At the Centre, local artists have access to supplies, work space, and a display and sales area for their works. Neighborhood children and their families are welcomed every day for free art lessons, story hours, and access to the Centre's growing library of children's books. The Centre has become the focal point for FLL‟s continuing work in the creation of children's picture books for and by the people of Lesotho in their own language.

For more information about Family Literacy Lesotho, please contact Professor Jane Hale at [email protected]. To purchase books, please see the order form on page 4 (pictures of books on page 5).

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RPCV Continuing Commitment The letter below is a testament to just how deeply Peace Corps service can change the life of those who serve as well as the lives of those served. Belinda Laidley-Collias, RPCV (2007-2009) from Fairfax, Vermont, returned to her village of Ha Mohale/Likalaneng this past month. She served in Lesotho as an HIV/AIDS Advisor and launched MOSA (Mohale Orphan Support Association). While in Lesotho, Belinda received VAC (Volunteer Advisory Committee) grants to support her work. After returning to the states, she connected with an old friend and founder of Degenhardt Foundation/Aid for Kids. The foundation adopted MOSA under their organization's 501(c)3 status, and family and friends opened their pockets. FOL featured information about MOSA in our First Quarter 2010 newsletter. If you would like to learn more about the project, go to http://mosalesotho.org.

As most of you know, I am spending the month of May up here in the mountains of Mohale to provide assistance to our ongoing M.O.S.A. projects. It's truly wonderful to be back in Lesotho...every day I am met with smiling, familiar faces asking me, "U ipatile kae?" (Where have you been hiding yourself?) The Flying Eagles scholarship program is still running smoothly under the supervision of 'Me Tankie, and the students were so excited to receive letters and gifts from their sponsors. During my stay, I will be re-evaluating all of their situations to be sure they have everything they need to complete this school year and move on to the next. I am also working with the principal of Montsi School, one of the most rural villages in the Mohale region, to provide the students with new

chalkboards, school supplies, sports equipment, and construction materials for new classrooms. I have reconnected with the Mohale HIV/AIDS Task Force, a group of community volunteers that provides HIV/AIDS education and services. We've just come back from a threeday outreach mission to the village of Ha Mokoboke (a three-hour trek through the mountains), where we conducted a workshop, offered testing and counseling, and distributed clothing, toothbrushes, and seeds to orphans and families affected by HIV. For me, there is no place like these mountains...wild and rugged, climbing one peak after another, walking towards the smell of smoking fires rising from the small stone homes of a distant village...I feel like I'm home again! Those who know me will often hear me tell stories about the children I loved most, those who came to the clinic for HIV treatment. I have been making home visits to all of these families, some of whom are child-headed (orphans), and upon arriving at one village, I received some sad news: Thato, a nineyear-old girl who had been receiving treatment for several years, passed away last December. This was most shocking and upsetting to me because Thato had been doing well on her medication and was such a vibrant, happy child...she had been living with her 80-year-old grandmother, who had used all of her strength to take care of the little girl, and is now completely alone. Thato's death was a harsh reminder to me that the problem of HIV/AIDS is far from being

solved...even though ARV medications are now available in Lesotho, children born with HIV have already come into this world at a disadvantage. These little ones carry an extra burden on top of the poverty and harsh conditions they struggle to survive here in the remote highlands of Lesotho. I keep feeling as though there is something I could have done to keep Thato from leaving this world so young, and I will do everything in my power to keep the others safe and healthy. The M.O.S.A. Project needs to extend its aid to small children and families affected by HIV in the hopes that, at least if proper nutrition, warm clothing, and shelter are provided, these kids will have a fighting chance. If you're interested in sponsoring a family, please let me know, and God bless all of you who have made this trip and all of these projects a reality! Khotso! (Peace!) Belinda

Nine-year-old Thato with her grandmother.

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Metsoalle ea Lesotho Litaba tsa Lesotho (News of Lesotho)

Compiled by Ella Kwisnek Measles Outbreak The United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) has provided mo ne y t o t he W or l d H e a l t h Organization (WHO) to immunize approximately 630,000 Basotho children between the ages of six months and fifteen years against measles after a deadly outbreak of the disease erupted. In April, there were 1,295 confirmed cases and more than 2,000 suspected cases—the majority of whom were children. A portion of the funds will also be used to launch a public awareness campaign.

Funds for Food Production The UN‟s food and agricultural agency (FAO) is providing assistance to more than 30,000 farmers in Lesotho after increases in seed, fertilizer, and tool prices have reduced food production. The cost of planting crops has risen four times in just one year, and more than half of the country‟s arable land is lying fallow. To increase cultivation, farmers are receiving corn, bean, wheat, sorghum, potato, and vegetable seeds; fertilizer; and tools such as hoes, yokes, chains, and ox-drawn plows and planters. The goal of the program is to reduce the risk of hunger where so ma n y h o us e h o l ds de p e n d o n subsistence farming.

Check out the new FOL website www.friendsoflesotho.org

Telecommunications Summit In May, the Telecom ministers from Lesotho and Zimbabwe met at the SADC regional meeting of the mi ni s tr ies of t echnol ogy a nd c o mmu ni cat i ons. The meet i ng addressed iss ues concerni ng telecommunication infrastructures, regulations, and improving customer service. The ministers also discussed the transfer of TV systems from analog to digital by 2013 under the SADC policy of establishing a fully integrated communication system and total regional integration.

Lesotho Holds Talks with Qatar In May, King Letsie III and various officials from the Lesotho government met with representatives from Qatar in Doha. The talks addressed developing cooperation between the two countries in various fields. Following the meeting, His Royal Highness Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani and King Letsie III signed a me morandum of understanding between Qatar‟s foreign ministry and Lesotho‟s ministry of foreign affairs and international relations.

Lesotho Education Act 2010 The Lesotho government recently enacted Education Act 2010, which legalizes the right to free and compulsory education. Free primary education began in Lesotho in 2000, and enrollment increased dramatically to 82% of primary-school-aged children. However, that means 18% of the most vulnerable children are still out of school; the act is designed to

extend access to primary education to all children. UNICEF and other partners are supporting t he development of school management regulations that will translate the act into implementable systems and structures.

Metolong Dam Next year, construction will begin on the 197 million maloti Metolong Dam. The dam, which is to be completed in 2013, will help meet growing residential and industrial demand on the water supply in Lesotho's capital, Maseru. Metolong Aut hority spokesperson Matseliso Makoele stated, "Maseru and its surrounding areas have undergone rapid growth, which has put a strain on resources such as water. The current water supply system is overstretched, and this prompts a need to augment supply to the city and its surrounding areas." The existing Katse and Mohale dams supply water to South Africa, and the export of water has caused frustrations among Basotho, who complain that South Africa used Lesotho's water to for special projects such as the World Cup stadiums while Basotho struggled to meet basic water needs.

PLEASE PAY YOUR MEMBERSHIP DUES ANNUALLY Your membership expiration date is located on the mailing label.

Metsoalle ea Lesotho Lifetime Commitment If you were inspired by the RPCV Continuing Commitment article, you might want to think about expressing your lifetime commitment to FOL and the projects it supports in Lesotho by becoming a Lifetime Member. Thanks to Ted Hochstadt and Brad Rea who made the commitment this past quarter, joining 40 other FOL members who have elected this membership option. The basic lifetime membership donation is $250. Or you can choose the Bronze ($500) , Silver ($750) or Gold Lifetime ($1,000) membership options and make your payments in $250 annual installments. A form is attached for your convenience. And, thanks to all our members who renew their membership annually and who frequently include an additional donation to support the many grassroots projects undertaken by PCVs.

More Time Than Money? Please consider a donation of your time to an FOL Committee. One of FOL's most important committees is the Donations/Distribution Committee. As the generosity of our donors and members grow, so does our capability to fund worthwhile projects. Members of the Donations/Distributions committee work closely with PCVs who submit grant applications for a wide variety of projects. This committee is also responsible for insuring that FOL is able to continue its funding for TAP scholarships and VAC small grants programs. So, if you are someone with more time than money, please give some thought to sharing some of your time by volunteering for an FOL Committee. Your commitment of time is equally valuable to FOL as are your membership dues. For an overview of the various committee activities and time requirements, go to: http://friendsoflesotho.org/how-tosupport-fol/board-and-committee-service/ Thank you in advance, Dyann Van Dusen, Vice President-Member, Nominating Committee.

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F O L H e l p s Pe k a E n g l i s h Medium School Peka English Medium School is a community-funded school that has been in existence since 1993. There are approximately 450 students, pre-school through Class 7, with classroom size numbering between 45 and 70. The school is in dire need of more space as many of the classrooms have no room for desks and children are sitting shoulder to shoulder on benches or plastic chairs. The population that the school has been serving is growing substantially, and the number of students they are serving has doubled since the school‟s inception. The school has a partially finished building that will accommodate two more classrooms. The building currently has four walls but needs roofing, flooring, and finishing of windows. The Lesotho government is responsible to finish this building, but the school has been told that the government is prioritizing the governmentfunded schools in Lesotho before they will provide assistance to community-based schools. It is expected that the two new rooms can be used not only for new classrooms, which will alleviate the overcrowding, but will also hold some shelves for a small library. The school would then be able to hire two more teachers. Peka English Medium School is located on the border between Leribe and Berea districts. It is a rural and poor community. The children ravel to the school from the surrounding smaller villages. The teachers are dedicated and are working under very harsh and limiting conditions, but in spite of this, they report that the students are testing well in their exams.

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Metsoalle ea Lesotho Bits & Pieces FOL Marketplace

Customized Peace Corps Lesotho Clothing Now Available FOL sells a variety of clothing with the Peace Corps logo in our online store. Now you can get customized PC/L clothing with your name, service dates, location, or other customized text on it. There will be a $1.00 fee added for this service. Go to www.cafepress.com/lesotho/3031772 to see the clothing options. Email questions or customization requests to [email protected]. Include the text you'd like added and any color/font preference. You will be allowed to preview the item(s) before placing an order, there is no commitment to buy, and we guarantee 100% satisfaction or your money back!

www.friendsoflesotho.org You can now PAY your dues and make donations with a

CREDIT CARD 1234 5678 9012 3456 Making a difference at the grassroots level

Scenery photo courtesy of Pamela Rogers, RPCV

Sign up for email-only delivery of your FOL newsletter and you’ll help FOL send more money to Lesotho. Sign up at the membership page at www.friendsoflesotho.org

Photos of Lesotho Scenery Needed It's that time of year when Friends of Lesotho (FOL) starts putting together the Lesotho calendar for the coming year. This year, we'd like to do a scenery calendar. If you have any nice, sharp, high-resolution scenery photos you'd like to donate for the calendar, please send them to Janissa Balcomb at [email protected]. There can be people in the photos, as long as they do not dominate the scene. If we use your photo, your name will appear under the photo, and you will retain the copyright. You can see our 2009 calendars in the FOL online store at www.cafepress.com/lesotho/5937778.

If you have comments, questions, suggestions, news, articles, websites, photos, or other items to contribute to this newsletter, please contact: Faye Farmer at [email protected] or 2612 E. Geneva Dr. Tempe, AZ 85282. We reserve the right to edit submissions for clarity and length. We would be happy to return submissions.

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Bits & Pieces Friends of Lesotho - 2010 Treasurer's Summary for Board:

May 16, 2010

3/20/2010 $30,018.73 $35,588.71 Total (both accounts) $65,607.44 Interest Earned CY to Date (incl. above) $61.48

5/17/2010 $22,470.50 $44,253.07 $66,723.57 $125.84

Difference -$7,548.23 $8,664.36 $1,116.13 $64.36

35 1 5

53 2 19

18 1 14

Amount in Fund

Amount sent to Lesotho (*)

Amount Pending Future Disbursement

Current Bank Balance (checking): Current Bank Balance (savings):

Sign up for FOL Online Store News Did you know that you can sign up to receive updates from the FOL Online Store? Just go to the store home page, www.cafepress.com/lesotho, Enter your email address in the box at the bottom of the "Store Newsletter" section, and click . We promise not to fill your inbox with a lot of junk. We will send out store newsletters no more than three or four times a year, and only to announce new items or product lines, or when there are great deals available in the store. Go directly to www.cafepress.com/lesotho You can help FOL earn up to 10% extra from CafePress by going directly to the FOL store rather than getting there via the CafePress home page. So, remember to add "/lesotho" to the website address to do your shopping.

Paid Membership (Incl. Adv Dues - 16 for 2010): New members this Year to date: Non-member cash donors Year to date: 2010 Extra Donation Fund Status: Donation Fund Undesignated Fund ($250 min balance) Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) Fund HIV/AIDS Fund Morija Museum Fund Orphanages Fund Memorial Scholarship Fund PCV Projects Peka Classroom Completion (Thompson PCV) Village Hope Project (PCV) LCCU (Lesotho Child Counseling Unit) Uraneck PCV projects (Mountain Schools) T. Veiga PCV Project (scholarship) Lesotho I Reunion (Fundraiser event)

$10,549.75 $1,044.50 $24,866.21 $0.75 $600.60 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $1,544.34 $0.00 $12,411.99 $19.50 $328.67 $0.00 $2,700.00 $2,700.00 $1,798.56 $0.00 $1,000.00 $1,000.00 $194.00 $194.00 $25.00 $25.00 $11,900.00 $12,825.34 Totals $67,919.12 $17,809.09 Difference from Prior report: $18,714.04 $17,803.84 Note (*) - These include donation collection fees from Just Give and transfer fees in sending funds. 2010 Operating Expense Status: Current Cash in Accounts (as above): Subtract out: Project Expenditure Obligations (per above, incl. interest) Future Dues for Carryover Life Membership Fund (incl. interest) Cash Available for FOL Expenses = Unused Expenses in 2010 Budget Current Cash Reserve = (Total operating cash expenses, incl. NPCA pass thru): (Total operating inkind expenses to date):

$9,505.25 $24,865.46 $600.60 $0.00 $1,544.34 $12,392.49 $328.67 $0.00 $1,798.56 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 -$925.34 $50,110.03 $910.20

$66,723.57 -$50,110.03 Incl. interest -$30.06 Incl. interest -$7,798.89 33 = total members $8,784.59 $4,894.71 $3,889.88

excluding unspent budget

$435.29 $63.59

Whenever you shop at Amazon.com, start at FOL first. Friends of Lesotho is an Amazon.com affiliate. Access Amazon.com from the FOL website and a portion of the price of your purchase will be donated to FOL by Amazon.com. Go to the FOL website, click on the “Shop” tab, select “FOL Amazon,” and click on the Amazon link.

http://www.friendsoflesotho.org/shop/amazon/

4110 Denfeld Avenue Kensington, MD 20895 301.942.2751 [email protected] Membership expiration date.

Making a difference at the grassroots level w w w . f r i e n d s o f l e s o t h o . o r g

Metsoalle ea Lesotho

President: Richard Rowan ([email protected]) Vice President: Dyann Van Dusen ([email protected])

Second Q uarter 2010 Newsletter

Treasurer: John Hollister ([email protected]) Secretary: Kevin Freer ([email protected]) Embassy Liaison: Scott Rosenberg ([email protected]) Board Members: Ronna Abbott ([email protected]) Dick Nystrom ([email protected])

Additional assistance from the following members:

Friends of Lesotho

Graphic Artist/Fundraising: Janissa Balcomb Finance & Audit: Matt Diver Website & Database: Bill Dunn Martin Smith Memorial Scholarships: Bill Reed New PCV Contact: Elizabeth Perry ([email protected]) Newsletter: Faye Farmer, Coordinator ([email protected]) Nicole Potsane, Layout & Design Allison Pranger, Copy Editor