Team Lesotho Visits Leratong

On Saturday, we went to Leratong Community Learning Center to celebrate the big day of BLOOM Africa.  Irrespective of the distance between our two countries, we are one team.  So as BLOOM Africa was celebrating a re-launch in America, we wanted to volunteer in solidarity.  So when I got to Leratong my with teammates, we were amazed by the number of kids we found there.  On a daily basis a number of +/- 100 children go to Leratong.  They are being tutored by 3  women volunteers from the Roma community.

The children at Leratong CLC & Team Lesotho

One of their projects really had an impact on me.  It touched me to see hats and other items made out of recycled plastic bags.  The children have become very skilled at doing this.

Items made of plastic bags during life skills training

This made me realize that there is great potential at Leratong to make BLOOM's vision a reality.

This can be made possibly by us, Team Lesotho, giving them the support they need.  I believe if we can invest our time and brain power int his CLC, something good will be produced and BLOOM's name will go places,

This can be possible by providing daily supervision, as well as more projects and activities on site.  There is a a real potential in this CLC.

Thank you so much for giving us this opportunity.  You guy's don't only put a smile on the faces of the children who attend the CLC, but also Team Lesotho as well.  We are grateful.

Team Lesotho: Mammeisi, Bokang, Malefa

May the almighty bless you and your efforts.  We love you.

Khotso,

Mammeisi Manyeli
Team Lesotho member
  

A Very Special Re-Launch

Since January I have had the date July 27, 2013 circled in red on my calendar. The date is special to me on a personal level and after our BLOOM Africa quarterly board meeting in January, it become even more special. At the meeting we selected the date of our BLOOM Africa re-launch event – July 27, 2013 – therein commencing the big red mark making on my calendar. By the way, red is my favorite color, so when I use it, it means something special.

Saturday IS a special day – the BLOOM Africa re-launch event. We will be unveiling a new brand, announcing our relocation to Chicago and sharing with attendees the new and exciting steps we are securing to fully fund our new Community Learning Centers (CLC) in Lesotho. Although BLOOM Africa has been working hard completing projects since its first official launch in April 2010, recently we have picked up momentum thanks to three successful golf benefits, two proactive trips by Andrew and William to Lesotho and the support of generous donors. This re-launch event will expand the notion of what a small group of passionate and compassionate individuals can do to make a difference on a global level. I have been amazed at the persistent growth of BLOOM Africa as I have been able to have a special perspective as a founding board member. As an organization run strictly by volunteers – not a single executive or board member is paid a single itty-bitty cent – to be preparing to establish our first CLC after three years of planning, friend-raising, fundraising and promoting, is impressive.

Sometimes it is hard to relate the loving passion for Lesotho that I have – that each of us with BLOOM Africa have – and I understand that for many people without a first-hand experience it’s hard to grasp the importance of our work with the Basotho. However, the growth of BLOOM Africa and the continual story-telling of how we have impacted and can impart growth of the orphaned and vulnerable children there has proven that our hearts can be read and our emotions can be translated. If you haven’t taken a lot of time to understand what BLOOM Africa is doing, now is a terrific time to get informed. Talk to a board member, a team member, a volunteer or our founder and just listen to the loving fire that ignites as you hear about a personal exchange with a Masotho child or a Basotho family. One story into the conversation I am certain you will be convinced that the work BLOOM Africa is doing is genuine, sustainable and meaningful. These stories will be one thing that is NOT new at the re-launch; these are the stories that have stuck in our vivid memories since the moment we interacted with the beautiful people of Lesotho.

BLOOM Africa truly does plant seeds of hope – hope for a better future free of HIV/AIDS, full of empowered and courageous young adults and firmly united in a global sense of sister and brotherhood.

-Sarah Jurewicz

Sarah has been a Board Member at BLOOM Africa since it's founding in 2010 and currently resides in Springfield, Ohio.

Stepping Back

One of the things many of us on the BLOOM Africa team love the most about Lesotho is the fresh perspective it brings to our own lives.  Visiting our friends and the communities we work with at Leratong, in Roma and Ramabanta, often leaves us with a renewed sense of purpose for how to contribute to a community, a greater appreciation for the small things in life, and a realization of what matters-our relationships with each other.  it is the ability to step back and see a big picture that attracts us to our work with the communities in Lesotho.

And it is in that spirit that i am heading off on a new adventure, to serve two years in the Peace Corps in Botswana, Southern Africa.  I will be serving as a local government capacity building volunteer as part of a larger HIV/AIDS Capacity Building Initiative.

In light of my commitment to the Peace Corps, I have decided to take a step back from the BLOOM Africa Board of Directors.  It has been a true pleasure getting to know the members of the BLOOM Africa team and their many supporters.  I will continue to support BLOOM, both here and in Lesotho, as much as possible and look forward to sharing my experiences with everyone!

Ka Khotso,

Erika

Erika has served as a Board of Director since 2012.  She will continue to provide her skills & expertise to BLOOM Africa in an advisory capacity.