As Sarah has already filled you in, we have already had the
privilege of seeing both community work and the beauty of Lesotho so far on the
Voluntour. But we had just scratched the
surface…
The third full day of our unique adventure started with a
drive to learn more about a Youth Empowerment Sports group. The president of
the organization, Ntate Chaka, spoke to us about their programs, which are empowering
youth to find their passion - whether it is sports, drawing, reading, art, etc.
– as well as educating them about healthy life choices, avoiding drugs and
alcohol, and HIV/AIDS awareness. He spoke with such passion and conviction
about the importance of exposing youth to opportunities that we all walked out
of there feeling inspired.
From there, we travelled to Thaba Bosiu (“Mountain of the
Night”) where King Moshoeshoe defended this village from invasion and the country
of Lesotho originated. We were accompanied by Ntate Chaka and several other
volunteers from his organization. One of them served as our historian and tour
guide up the mountain. Let me tell you, that climb was not easy, but completely
worth it. We saw things that defied
logic: a tree that has fallen down but still continues to produce leaves; a ‘beach’
of sand on top of a mountain devoid of a body of water; and also tasted the
crisp water of one of the seven fresh water springs atop the mountain (these
features allowed for families and villages to survive independently). Every Basotho
person can trace their ancestry back to that very mountain. One mountain. All of this, plus the incredible view
that cannot be described in words or captured in pictures, made us fully aware
that we were experiencing something special.
Our next drive through the winding roads of the mountains
brought us to Ramabanta. If there is one place in Lesotho that is a must-see,
this place is it. As you take the last turn towards the village through Nkesi’s
Pass, The view opens up to valleys and mountains that can only be insufficiently
described as perfection. The Trading Post Adventures lodge manager, Lerato Nkesi,
is the Chief’s daughter. She is the most down to earth, good-hearted person I
have met. She took us around the village on our second day in Ramabanta. We saw
the primary school; the clinic where they were dispensing the HIV/AIDS
medication and helping mothers with delivery; the care center where women of
the village make wool hats and scarves to make their living; and we tried
homemade beer made by a village woman. Everyone in the village is so gracious
and friendly. We are blessed to have the opportunity to stay here and learn so
much about both the way of life and the opportunities to help this community.
The more I experience on this trip, the more I am convinced
that BLOOM Africa is taking the right approach in their work. We are not here
to come in as outsiders and impose our agenda onto the people of Lesotho. We
are not here to come in and build something that will not last and then we
disappear. We are not here to bring supplies or outdated books that the
community doesn’t need.
We are here to LEARN about the communities of Lesotho. We
are here to MEET people in the community doing great work. We are here to work
with PASSIONATE people who are telling us what they NEED. We ARE here to build
something that will LAST – a groundwork of partnerships WITHIN the community
that are actually helping the people of these communities to provide for
themselves and their families and give them opportunities to thrive.
I have been humbled by my experiences over the past four
days. I have met amazing people, seen amazing things and have been inspired to
do more. I thank the BLOOM Africa team as well as the people of Lesotho for
sharing their lives with us. I will remember these experiences for the rest of
my life and will forever be inspired by the words spoken to us tonight from my
new friend Malefa - “we are all born with infinite potential into a world of
limitless opportunities”.
Laura
Laura Olson is from
Chicago, IL and on the BLOOM Voluntour
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