Mokhatlo

Today, we participated in our first pitso, or gathering of the community (mokhatlo), to have a conversation.  This is a common way for a community to learn about what is happening and for them to express their opinions.  Usually, the village chief learns of a requested pitso or requests one himself, and then spreads word to the rest of the community that they are encouraged to attend. 

Since Bloom Africa is very interested in what is happening in the Roma community, we were able to be active participants at a pitso held at Leratong Community Center.  We can’t lie; it was a bit intimidating to be participants in this formal meeting environment.  We simply wanted to make sure we were respectful, appropriate, and that the community would understand our mission as an organization.  It took some time, and some critically thought out questions, before the community truly comprehended Bloom Africa’s purpose here.  We were able to explain that we wish to work in partnership and not provide handouts.  We also made sure that we were clear that we wished to work together to empower people, especially the most vulnerable.  After about 3 hours, the pitso concluded, and the community was happy to learn of our work.  There’s a lot of work ahead of us, but this was a giant step in expanding the awareness for our organization.

In the afternoon, we walked up the mountain and deeper into the village.  It’s always special to visit friends we’ve made over the years.  And we think it’s crucially important to simply spend time with people, build the relationships and trust, and get to know them for simply who they are.  So we climbed the mountain to visit with a family we’ve gotten to know, and just spent time talking.  To learn of the good grades the boys are getting in school is so encouraging, and we relished the opportunity to accompany them on a beautiful afternoon.

In the evening, we headed to Maseru, where we had a braai (BBQ) with Team Lesotho.  This was our way of showing thanks to the amazing team that has done so much for us this week.  Team Lesotho not only helped us with the little things, like translating at the pitso, but organized meetings and made invaluable introductions for us.  We are quickly realizing how important Team Lesotho will be for our success as an organization.  So, we hung out and ate some great food.  We also danced.  A lot.  Like, all night.  And it was amazing.  As we danced under the blanket of stars, catching a few shooting stars throughout the night, we cemented friendships that will last a lifetime.  Thank you Team Lesotho!

We will be heading up to Ramabanta on Thursday morning, where we will continue to spend time with the community and having some important meetings high up in the Maluti mountains.  Just a FYI, we will be without internet until Saturday, so stay tuned for more updates in a couple days.

Stay well,

Andrew & William