Meetings - Lesotho Style: Lesotho Update #2

Andrew and Billy have been staying busy with meetings, meetings and more meetings! Check out the details of their fun, educational and motivational engagements below....

On Thursday:
We met with the Principal of Fatima Primary School in Ramabanta,
Lesotho. We heard about the struggles, the challenges, the successes,
and the opportunities at her school.

We also met with Lerato, who is a leader in the village. She spoke to
us about how great her village is, as well as the crushing realities
of HIV/AIDS and orphans in her village. She will be a great partner
for BLOOM.

We had some nice meetings with ladies that are making and selling
scarves and knit hats from scratch, all the way from the stage of
receiving wool, to spinning it, to knitting it. We also met with a
guy in the community that makes art from rocks that he grounds.

On Friday morning:

We met with the the Principal of the primary school in Roma and the
the lady volunteering her time to run Leratong Community Center. It
was very insightful hearing from both of them.

We also met with Little Angels to check up on our project there. The
water is running perfectly and the kids were all smiling. We spoke
with Rose and Kennedy there and dropped off shoes for kids there
without them.

We have built some very nice relationships during our time here, as
well as learned how to best work with the Basotho people. We are
looking forward to updating you in more detail!

Another post full of big things for BLOOM and the orphans of Lesotho!! The BLOOM team is looking forward to creating lasting relationships and designing projects with all of these wonderful people!

Kings, Kids & Colleges: Lesotho Update #1

Lumela, friends! Andrew and Billy have been extremely busy the past few days in Lesotho. All of their hard work is paying off, though, as they continue to make new connections and generate new support for BLOOM. Here is a look at what they've accomplished, what they've been doing and what they'll be bringing back to the BLOOM Africa team!

We are currently in Maseru after meeting with a professor who teaches at the National University of Lesotho.

We arrived in Lesotho on Saturday night after a busy day of driving and seeing some folks. Sunday we spent the day in the community in Roma, and did some hiking. After spending the morning with some children in the village, we traveled to visit the Lesotho Child's Counseling Unit. This was a place of safety for children who have been badly abused or abandoned. The Wittengerg trips have been going to this site for the last number of years and volunteering there. Sadly, in November, the structure caught fire and was completely burned down. It was very sad to be back and see the charred ashes of a building that used to have so much happiness and joy inside its walls.

On Monday we spent the day with the Springfield Rotary Club in Motsekua, where they were dedicating the orphanage they have funded. His Majesty King Letsie III attended the large celebration, and gave the closing remarks at the program. After the program, we had lunch with His Majesty, and both William and I were able to meet him and discuss BLOOM Africa and our vision. We also connected with contacts from the US Embassy. After the event, we visited a school and orphanage, and spent time with the school's principal. We learned a lot about the challeneges that primary and high schools are now facing in Lesotho.

Tuesday was a busy day for us, spent in Maseru. We spent the moring at Kick4Life, an NGO using soccer to combat HIV and empower youth. We met the new director and are excited about the potential to work together in the future. That afternoon we had a meeting with the Director of the Peace Corps in Lesotho, and gained many new contacts that will be beneficial to moving forward. Later in the afternoon we met with our contacts who run soccer tournaments in Thaba Bosiu that promote healthy living and empowerment.

Today we met with the professor and will be visiting Little Angels. This afternoon we will head to Ramabanta where we will spend two nights. We hope to speak to some teachers there to hear of the difficulties of teaching in rural Lesotho. We will not have access to internet until Friday evening.

Yesterday was Billys birthday and we certainly celebrated in a good fashion! We raced up a mountain with just enough time to spare to catch the sunset, another beautiful evening in the Mountain Kingdom.

Love you all and wish you were here!!!

Big things are coming our way, folks!! Stay tuned for more updates, more good news and more ways you can help us help the orphans of Lesotho!

**Should anyone want/need to get ahold of either Andrew or Billy, you may call their Lesotho cell phone at (266) 57 40 27 93.

Leavin On A Jet Plane

It’s happening!  It really is happening!

On March 1, William Thomas and I will be traveling back to Lesotho on BLOOM business.  This is the first time BLOOM Africa has sent personnel on official business to Lesotho.  Previously, team members were able to spend time in Lesotho through service trips and volunteer experiences.  Now, we are sending team members to solely focus on the development of our organization.

This is a huge step for us.  We are now at a point where we can invest in the development of relationships and project sites in Lesotho.  Our hope is to target potential future project sites, BLOOM contacts and possible future staff members.

We will be spending 10 days in Lesotho, traveling all around the country from the capital city of Maseru to the rural mountaintops of Ramabanta.  We’ll also be taking some of the goods donated to us and delivering them to the community centers and orphanages we have worked with in the past.

We look forward to returning with newly built relationships, reports on past projects and locations for our future work.  This visit will lay the groundwork for much of our work in the months ahead.

While we’re there, we’ll be blogging right here, so stay tuned for updates from our visit!

Thanks again for your continued support, this wouldn’t be possible without you.

In great anticipation,

Andrew