Are you a or do you know any Grannies?

I'm posting this article written for Help Lesotho about the Granny Days run by the organisation. I am excited to take part and witness a Granny Day next week and then a conference in December. I will add my thoughts and reflections then but for now I think this article does a good job summing it all up.

I thought this programme may be of interest to any of you who are, will be or have grandparents.
I wanted to include the photos from the article but my pdf skills are limited and thus I could not find a way.

Alison


Grandmother Day from a male point of view
by Doug Thicke and Stephen Kendall

We think of our own grandmothers and what their later years were like. We recall the family members eager to address their every need. We see images of their lovely homes and their comforts. We recall sitting near their comfortable rocking chairs watching them enjoy their twilight years with us, their grandsons, listening to their stories. Today, we are in Lesotho and this is not the picture. More than 65% of the thousands and thousands of AIDS orphans are looked after by their grandmothers. The grandfathers died long ago. These women bear loss and suffering, we can barely imagine. With the world‟s 3rd highest incidence of HIV/AIDS, old age here is a time of physical pain, financial destitution, illness and hunger; cold winters and orphans ……so many orphans. The average grandmother looks after 6-9 orphans, some of whom she is not related to.

On this special Grandmother Day, these Basotho Grannies start arriving at the Help Lesotho office more than an hour before the appointed start time. They come from near and far, on foot and by small broken-down taxis sent to gather those beyond walking distance. These 50 were selected from the poorest of the poor by their chiefs. This is their day - once per month - to socialize, learn, relax, and feel the support from other grandmothers. These old and aching bodies settle into the cheap plastic chairs on the grass to wait, chat and enjoy the glorious African sunshine.

Such a kaleidoscope of colors and sizes: some are rotund, others scrawny, with sunken eyes and wizened skin. Some have canes or just tree-branch walking sticks. Some carry babies on their backs wrapped in blankets. Many are clad in faded but still beautiful traditional seshoeshoe dresses with colorful head scarves or sun hats, wrapped in blankets against the early fall chill.

At nine o‟clock, chairs and bodies are moved into the Help Lesotho training room to be greeted by the Help Lesotho Grandmother Support Officer, „M‟e Mapoloko. There is wonderfully boisterous ululating (a high pitched warble to express joy and happiness), spiritual songs and a solemn prayer. One grandmother and cancer survivor, shares with the group her struggles and recovery process at the Bloemfontein Hospital. She gives a passionate message of hope, faith, and resiliency.

Education is followed by tea time with biscuits. The grandmothers dunk their biscuits into their sugary tea or juice. The second speaker, the Ministry of Health District Health Education Officer, discusses “Positive Living” and the importance of health of mind and soul with tips, strategies and lively discussion.

The bo-Nkomo (Sesotho for grandmothers) share a traditional meal: boiled chicken pieces, a healthy serving of papa (a cornmeal staple), mashed pumpkin, “morroho” (chopped, boiled salty spinach), more orange juice and tea. They eat sitting with their legs out straight on the grass in clusters, as little girls would.

Spontaneous singing, clapping, and dancing is followed by more education, this time on “HIV and Gender Equality”. Three grandmothers lead a bible study and concluded with more singing, dancing and laughter.

Most of these grannies suffer terribly from cataracts and are approaching blindness. They try on used reading glasses, look at their hands, then up, put them back in the box and try another pair. Today the group photo includes much cheering and primping – as if they were movie queens. They eagerly view the camera screen to see themselves, covering their mouths and giggling. Others are quiet, taking in things in their own way.

Around 3:00, they lined up politely, hopefully, to collect a bag of green lentils donated from Canada and then say their goodbyes until next month. It is haunting to watch them return to their grief in the loss of their children and worry of how to raise these grandchildren with no resources. The lentils will likely be the only protein they and their grandchildren will have for some time.

The grandmothers say that these days have made a huge difference: they know they are not alone; they know their HIV status, others are in the same boat; they feel valued; they are given life-saving education for the first time. They have the best meal they will have for another month.

Monthly Help Lesotho Grandmothers Days in four remote and poorly served communities have become life lines. In between times, the grannies meet in their villages with those who live close by for companionship, solace and enterprise. Most villages groups now have small income-generating projects. They contribute pennies to share the cost of the soap, candles, seeds that their collective funds can buy.

To help Grandmother Days to continue to provide help and hope to grandmothers in Lesotho, visit www.helplesotho.ca and follow the links on how to "Sponsor A Grandmother".

Wouldn’t your own grandmother be proud of you?

Rea Leboha/Thank You

Stephen and Doug

Rain, Rain, Come and Stay

We got our first taste of rain here in Hlotse last night. Well, sort of. I actually never saw the rain, only heard the thunder and saw the lightening. I was out for a walk after an early dinner of fried eggs, tomato, cheese and toast when the lightening started off in the distance. It was impressive to say the least. Then the thunder started but the sky over my head was still blue with a few white clouds. I hoped the storm clouds would roll our way as all of Lesotho needs the rain. As I returned home, a kind lady who lives on the compound assured me the rain would arrive around midnight. I suspect it must have since I slept through any rain but the ground was certainly less dusty than usual when I awoke. I have no idea how much rain fell. Considering the 4 years of drought, any rain is better than no rain.

The electricity has been coming and going. We only lost power at home for about 10 minutes last night and 10 minutes this morning. There is no power at the office today, although there was initially. Luckily my laptop has some juice so I can type this. The internet does not seem to be down either. The sun is coming out despite a few short showers earlier this morning. It was cool when I woke (at 6) but I suspect it will warm up again soon.

Aish, enough about the weather.

Yesterday and today I got down to business. I spent a lot of time reading over the letters that the sponsored children are sending to their sponsors. Many write with an expressive, flowerly style, using words and expressions that light up the page. I will try my level best to incorporate some in my writing. See what I just did there?

I know you want to see photos and I will post some soon…maybe. First I have to take some. I think I’ve only taken 5 or 6. I want to observe with my eyes first and then get into the pointing and shooting.

It has been my pleasure to jot this note to you.

Catch you later

Oh and yesterday there was a rooster strutting about the yard outside the office, cock-a-doodle-doo-ing as he pleased throughout the day. I hope he only visits once a week...or less

Ha Ha

Check me out...

http://www.helplesotho.ca/aboutus46.html

That's a self photo I took of me and some potato fields in PEI.
You can also check out the other staff in Lesotho on the site.

I have Arrived

Hello from Lesotho! Or rather Lumelang (pronounced Dumelang)

I arrived safe and sound on the 28th of October. It only took an 8 hour flight, 8 hour layover, 11 hour flight and 5 hour drive to get to Hlotse in Leribe, Lesotho. Oh that reminds me, if you are going to mail me anything, please put Southern Africa after Lesotho – apparently NO ONE knows where this place is. All the harder to track me down I suppose. You know, I’m sure there are people after me for something.

As usual, I had a little bit of a hard time getting here. Just checking in in Toronto they tried to tell me I couldn’t fly to South Africa without a visa as my ticket was for more than 90 days and I had no proof I was leaving the country – telling them a man was picking me up at the airport to take me to Lesotho wasn’t enough (which I totally get). They also tried to tell me I need my yellow fever vaccine card, which makes zero sense as you only need if you are flying through a country with a yellow fever issue – London, England, as far as I know, does not have such an issue. They ended up getting the word from some guy who knows these things and poof, all my problems disappeared. They did overlook the fact that one of my bags was 7kg overweight so I guess you win some and you lose some and life goes on.

I’m settling into my new home. A small house with 2 bedrooms – one for me and one for Tara (the other intern) – a kitchen, sitting room and washroom – complete with a toilet and hot shower. Yes I have running water, which to drink I have to boil first.
Anyone know how long I have to boil it before it’s safe to drink?

The house is located on the same property as the Help Lesotho office so it’s not a far walk. However, I should be moving into the new centre upon its completion…now projected to be sometime around Christmas. This past August was too ambitious a goal it would seem.

This entry is too long so I’ll leave it there. I hope to have regular internet access during the week but I am not sure how often I’ll get to use it for personal emails. There are quite a few of us in the office sharing a slow dial up connection.
Sala Hantle

I have an Address!

If you would like to send me anything by snail mail, feel free to do so to the address below. You can send post cards, coffee, notes, games, books, mazes, colouring books, anything you want. Um, no hate mail though please. I don't need that. Hopefully I'll be able to send a few things to Canada so email me your address and I'll try.

Alison MacDonald
c/o Help Lesotho
P.O. Box 231
Hlotse, Leribe 300
Lesotho
Southern Africa

Apparently the Southern Africa part is key!

Le..what did you say?

Lesotho - pronounced, Lesutu or Lesootoo - clearly I know nothing about phonetics and I'm sure once I arrive I'll really find out if I can say it right or not. I'm hoping my semester of Zulu and home Qhosa cds will give me an ear for the language of Sesotho...cough cough.

Where is it?
Check out the maps below to see the Mountain Kingdom, surrounded entirely by South Africa.





What else might you like to know about Lesotho? It's the 3rd highest country in the world, with the highest, lowest point in the world. Read it again, it'll make sense. It's not tropical, it gets warm - up to 30 degrees and it gets cold - down to -5 with snow. Being in the southern hemisphere its seasons are opposite (thanks tips).

Check out more about this country, which is about the size of Belgium or Maryland, here - http://www.lesotho.gov.ls/home/

The Blog is Back

Looks like the blog is going to be reactivated.
Perhaps with regular posts, perhaps not.
But while away on my internship, I'm sure going to try.

What internship?
Oh right, just got it, 6 hours ago.
I'm headed to Lesotho.
Look it up if you need to.
I'll post a map before you know it.

Guess I'll get to fly somewhere soon after all.

Stitches

That's my new nickname.
I've got 5 new ones since that last picture.
Sara, my only reader, can you see these?

I Forgot!

Totally forgot about my blog!
I don't have internet at home anymore so my posts will be sporadic but...
I'm done school, working at a great burger place, now love beer and smell like onions, potatoes or cheese burgers most of the time.
Eat bison or visit them at the High Park zoo.

Holler

Oh and I'm pretty famous being on the jumbotron at Jays games all the freakin' time.

How Annoying

I don't know why those videos posted that way. I find it highly annoying, luckily I'm the only one who notices aka reads my own blog.

Today I added a 5th Toronto hospital to the list of Hospitals I've been to in this city. It's pretty cool there are so many. I've got to spread myself around. This time was a self sustained injury. I cut myself on a significantly chipped glass when I was washing it for unknown reasons. I didn't actually notice the glass I was cleaning was chipped and sliced my way through my hand. WIN.

I shall post a picture for my own future enjoyment.

Oh right, I got 4 stitches. I was hoping someone would offer me juice or at least ask me if I'd eaten today as I'd only had a grapefruit and was worried about the whole blood loss slash shock fainting potential. Oh well, no free juice for me. I look pretty relaxed about the whole thing I think.