How I first learned about Lesotho

I hadn’t even heard of Lesotho until October 2006. I was there 5 months later.

This is how it all started, with an e-mail I sent to the founder of Help Lesotho,October 18,2006





Hello!

I learned of your program on Sunday, as I was preparing to supply teach in agrade 5-6 class. I explored your website in order to find some information to share with the students before the assembly to be held late in the morning. I read about the toys that children in Lesotho play with - homemade soccer balls and small metal cars(galimotos?). With the class that I was supplying for, we discussed what we knew about Lesotho and some ideas of how children unwind and have fun. After a student volunteered the idea of homemade soccer balls, I supplied five groups of four students each with plastic bags, recycling paper and string. Each group made a different sort of ball. We went outside and had a soccer gym lesson using our "Lesotho inspired" balls. This was followed by a discussion in which the children talked about the advantages and disadvantages to using a home-made soccer ball.

Immediately after this discussion, we attended, in the gym, a wonderful photographic presentation put on by your organization. The children were enthralled and very moved. Upon returning to the classroom, they had many questions and all said that they felt for the students at Paray. One student expressed that he could understand their lives a little better after making his own sports equipment out of simple materials. When I asked who else felt this way, all the students raised their hands.

I felt very fortunate to have been supply teaching on this particular morning. Ever since a very young age, I have been extremely interested in the plight of African children. More recently, I have been interested in becoming involved with some type of organization in order that I might travel to Africa and volunteer with school children. When I learned about your organization, I was thrilled. I would love to be a part of Help Lesotho, locally and in Lesotho if at all possible. As I said, I am currently an occasional teacher, and therefore do not have a contract position. My schedule is very flexible and I would absolutely relish being a part of your wonderful organization.

Please let me know if there is a way that I can become involved.

Thank you for all the inspirational, life-changing work that you do!