Drought Leaves Many Hungry For Help

True hunger is something that I have never experienced. I have never wondered when I would eat next, or if I would eat again. It’s hard to imagine what actual hunger is, or how it feels. Food is not something I have had to fear of not having. I have been blessed in excess, which overwhelms me with guilt and sadness when so much suffering exists in a place I keep so close to my heart.

After two sequential crop failures from drought, 725,000 Basotho have been left fighting hunger. The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) reported that maize production is down 77%, and wheat harvest is down 52% from last year causing a crisis within the mountain kingdom of Lesotho. Food prices have escalated 33% for both maize and wheat, limiting much of the population which includes the 48% of Basotho children suffering from chronic malnutrition (WFP).

Rose Masaba, with peaches she grew and stored in the summer months.
With a depleted garden, these peaches have become her family's main source of food.

It is not as simple as creating a budget for a grocery list, or occasionally abstaining from a meal to cut back on spending. Luxuries like that are not fathomable for an abundance of people living in Lesotho. Many Basotho rely on their own food supply to care for their family, and lack the resources to do otherwise.  Countless people living solely on their own food production are also lacking resources to feed livestock, causing even more of a devastation among those left without options.

It is difficult to not feel discouraged by such circumstances, especially when I have so much. How can I fight this injustice, and find an end to hunger in Lesotho? Even small changes can make a difference. Everyone can choose to be a thoughtful consumer, think about what you are purchasing, don't overeat, and be grateful for what you have. Raising awareness is fundamental. Visit the Bloom Africa webpage, get involved, become educated, and speak up.

-Willie

Willie is serving as an intern for Bloom Africa.

The Little Things

It’s impossible to describe to other people how much an experience like spending a month in Lesotho, Africa can change you.  It was one of the most remarkable experiences I have ever had.  I like to think that it changed my outlook on life and helped me figure out where my priorities really lie.  There are four words that truly describe my experience: Sunglasses, Cement, Photography and Thabo.

Sunglasses.  Every morning we would walk to breakfast and there were about twenty children who would be there to greet us.  They would wait at the gate to the Trading Post where we stayed.  Sometimes they had notes for their “friend”, other times they would just call out our names (mine was Savaaaaannah).  Towards the end of our trip, we gave small gifts to our friends, so that they would have something to remember us by.  One of the things that we brought to share with them was sunglasses.  The happiest I saw the kids that stood outside of the gate was the day that we handed out those sunglasses. As sad as it was to leave them, we learned a very important lesson that day: that sometimes the littlest things can bring others immense joy.

Cement. The work that we did in Lesotho had a purpose.  We wanted the Basotho to be able to use what we built in the future so that they would have food and hopefully make a profit off of some of our projects. Some of the things we built included: chicken coops, green houses, a wedding garden, a piggery, a rabbit hutch, planted fruit trees, built raised gardens, just to name a few things.  A lot of the projects involved cement.  Since I had made cement prior to the trip, I was the “cement girl”.  If there needed to be cement made, I was on the team to do it.  I wouldn’t change a thing about it, we worked incredibly hard to get everything done in a timely manner, and every time we exceeded what Dr. Rosenberg expected of us.

Photography. In Lesotho, there is beauty in everything: not only the breath taking landscape, but in every person that we encountered, especially in the children. Photography is the way that I share what I learned and how I felt with other people.  I did not have a problem finding beauty to take photos of.  I ended up taking around 5,000 pictures.  But each photo evokes a different memory.  At this point, my only regret is not taking MORE photos.  I truly believe you can never take too many photos.

Thabo. The first place we worked was called LCCU, Lesotho Child Counseling Unit.  The first day there, I met a 5-year-old Basotho boy who did not speak any English. Even through the language barrier, we managed to get to know each other through a game we would play with each other. First, I would blow in his ear and he would giggle.  After a few days, he would start to do it to me too and like any child, it never got old to him.  We continued to do it every day.  We ended up having to go back to LCCU later in the month and when I saw him, he knew exactly who I was.  How incredible is it to have a bond with a person that you can barely communicate with? I’ll never forget Thabo, my little joy.

When the opportunity arose to intern at Bloom, I realized I needed to do more and get involved again. Life gets busy, it’s hard to be involved when the cause is millions of miles away. But when I realize what is really important and what I will remember ten years from now, it will be that I helped an organization with amazing people and all for a greater purpose.  I’ve only been working for Bloom for a month and I already know that I want to go back to Lesotho and I’ll do whatever it takes to get me there.

-Savannah Guyer

Savannah is currently an intern with Bloom Africa and a student at Wittenberg University.