Five new sisters

Monday, August 29, 2016

I awoke this morning so excited. Today is the day that I will sleep over at the Lithoteng Foster Home! We arrived at the home, two very happy dogs and our Social Worker, Samuel was there to greet us. All of the children but four were in school. Three wee ones- Bohlokoa (age 4), Karabelo (age 2), Tsireletso (9 months) and Ithumeleng (age 16).

 

I sat with Samuel for some time learning about the children in this Foster Home. There are eleven children in this home. The Foster Mother is 'Me Mansentle. Our children are Keneuoe 17, Ithumeleng 16, Khunong, who goes by "Tato" 15, Seboka 14, Litsiso 13, Ithabeleng 12, Bokang 12, Khotso 10, Bohlokoa 4, Karabelo 2 and Tsireletso 9 months. 

The children are doing well in this Foster Home. They are learning and growing as siblings, and working as a family to ensure that everyone is happy and healthy. The five girls sleep in one bedroom, the three boys in another, and the three babies in a bedroom beside the girl's room. 

I was quickly approached and pulled in by the little girl Karabelo. She is two years old, and arrived with her two siblings Bohlokoa and Tsireletso after he mother passed away. When she arrived at the Foster Home, she was unable to walk, had lost a lot of hair, was malnourished and did not speak. Because of the state that the three children arrived in, for the first few days of having them in the home, Samuel feared that each call he made or received to/from the home would bring news that this beautiful baby girl had been lost. Thankfully, because of the care, nutrition and love from her siblings and new family, she is now booting around the home, giggling, laughing and talking! 

After some time, the kids started to arrive home from school. They were excited and full of energy. We had brought a brand new soccer ball that the kids were thrilled to have to play with. It was a huge hit. My hair was also a hit with the girls. They brushed it, braided it and played with different hair styles for about forty-five minutes.

Ithabeleng was the one who started- she began brushing and playing with my hair, saying it was "beautiful" and I should keep growing more and more and that she would love to have my hair (we pretended and put it on her head several times over the next two days).

We continued to play soccer, sing, dance, tell stories and play with the kids until it became dark and with no light in the kitchen, it was going to be difficult to cook dinner so we got to work. We purchased food for a special dinner for them. We made a tomato, avocado and cucumber salad, beef and rice, and we bought a chocolate cake for dessert! We had purchased chips as well but the kids had already had a snack, so those were saved for another day. The dinner was a huge hit! Bokang helped chop and prepare the salad with Brad and Ithabeleng helped me prepare the rice and beef.

Ithabeleng was my helper all day and night. She helped with dinner, she helped serve, she helped with dishes and when it was time for bed, she tucked in the three youngest.

It was wonderful to have a big hearty dinner together. After dinner, the family got together and sang in the kitchen. They sang slow songs and fun upbeat songs. They continue to praise God for all of the amazing gifts that have been brought to them. This is a house filled with grateful children. Each one of these kids loves their family and showed gratitude to even the smallest things. Even after such sad and horrible things having happened in their lives, they continue to thank for what they do have.

(Scroll to 1:06 for the upbeat melody)

It was time for bed so we all got ready and then the girls got out their homework. Ithabeleng was so proud to show me her marks and how she is doing so well in school. Keneuoe, Litsiso and Ithumeleng asked for help with their English so we sat together and went over several passages of reading, and then they had to write a short composition about a good day they had. 

Part way through homework, Ithabeleng got up and took the babies to their bedroom, beside the girl's room. She got the three of them ready for bed with their water and formula, with diapers changed and laid down for bed time. The three youngest sleep in a bedroom beside the girl's room with 'Me.

As 17, 16, 13 and 12 year old girls, they do an amazing job of supporting one another. There is no bickering, there is laughter, dancing and help for homework before bed. As we were laying down, Keneuoe asked me if I knew Rihanna and Beyonce, which I of course said YES!! They then got up and started singing "Work, work, work, work, work" and danced together as they all laughed. They made me get up and dance as we all sang together. I told them they needed to teach me better rhythm and we all laughed together. They asked me to teach them the national anthem, so I sang it slowly to them in English and French as they tried to learn the words. We then all laid down in our beds, me on a mattress in between all of the beds, which they were very happy about. There are two sets of bunk beds and one day bed in the room. The girls have begun to call me "Sister Candice". I think it's my favourite name I've had so far.

Before we fell asleep, I asked the girls if they were going to set an alarm for school, and Ithabeleng pointed to her head and said "we don't use one", I wake up from this", tapping her head. I asked her, if that meant that she woke up naturally around 5am, and once again, she tapped her head and said yes. It will be interesting to see if we do wake up in time to get ready for school.

Ithumeleng asked if she could tell me a "sad story". I said yes. She told me that there is a girl in her class who comes to school with no shoes, torn clothing, no books and always hungry. She said, "we have so much here, and she has nothing." It took everything in me to hold back the tears. This 16 year old girl has THIS perspective. Ithumeleng has come from a very difficult past. She was abused physically and sexually when she was younger, she lives in a foster home with ten other children and she is epileptic. She feels so grateful for all that she has, and so sad for the girl who has nothing. I went to bed that night thinking of how incredible these young girls are.

The lights were left on all night, and they slept under the covers because Ithabeleng said they are "scared" without the lights on. We said our goodnights and I got to fall asleep in a room filled with five new sisters and a full heart. In the middle of the night, around 4am, I heard the baby crying, and looked up to see Ithabeleng walking back and forth in the hallway with her strapped to her back. She was cooing and rocking her back to sleep.

I am truly grateful for the opportunity to have this special time with these children at Lithoteng, and for my five new sisters whose relationships and time I will treasure forever.

Goodnight.

For more information about the children living at Lithoteng, visit our website at www.braceletofhope.ca or contact me at ccoghlan@braceletofhope.ca

Lerobane Love

Sunday, August 28th

This morning we went to an Anglican church service on site with the nuns. We were asked to speak, so I thanked everyone for having us there and that we were so grateful for the opportunity and experience. There was a little boy, probably about three years old who stared and played games for the entire service. He was fascinated by us and couldn't take his eyes off of us...I also found him quite entertaining. The pastor spoke of the inequalities in the world and how priority seating works at a wedding. He said one day, he hopes we have one big table where there is no head and we are all equal. It was a very peaceful, quiet service, with a beautiful message.

I then went wandering downtown and stopped at a church called "Church of Jesus Christ" because from the road I could hear them screaming and singing. It was something out of a movie. Everyone was in traditional Lesotho hats and blankets, hands in the air, singing and praising. The paster was shouting "If the devil finds his way into our hearts or our house we say" and the congregation shouted back "GET OUT OF MY HOUSE". They repeated this several times, with loud cheering and singing. I find it fascinating how only a few blocks away, there could be such difference in the practice of faith. It is amazing to see how different people connect to different teachings and guidance. Each person connects to faith in their own way, it was truly remarkable to see two such different teachings in one morning.

Andy picked us up at 1:30pm and we headed to Lerobane Foster Home. We drove through dirt paths and off road to park in the middle of the field by a stream to hike up to the home.

     

This foster home, Lerobane, has a piggery project, raising several small pigs to sell once full size. This is one of the income generating activities that Bracelet of Hope supports at the Foster Home. Lerobane Foster Home has nine children and two foster parents, 'Me Mamosebetsi and Ntate Bohlokoa. This home includes the family with the small boy, Khotso, who has the same birthday as me, and a brave young woman named Mamokhele.

When we arrived, everyone was still at church so we checked out the piggery and chatted on the hill. Then after some time, we heard noise and voices on the hill. The tiny faces whose photos have decorated my walls, my office and home and who I felt like I knew before I had met, came around the corner to greet me! They were so excited (as was I)! We all hugged and went inside the home. We gave them gifts and they played quietly after introducing themselves. We then took out the soccer ball- the ultimate ice breaker! We played catch, monkey in the middle and soccer. We danced, sang and laughed. You never image the lives these children have had before coming to the home.

From Left Back: Mafusi, Mahaohonolo 12, Tjama 12, Mamokhele 15, Refiloe 26
From Left Front: Khotso 7, Justice 2, Ntaoleng 2, Relebohile 6

 

While visiting the Foster Home, I realized that every single one of these children had a story that rips your heart out, and they have come so far from where they were. I could write a blog post on each child but I have decided to focus on two girls at Lerobane, Mamokhele and Ntaoleng. 

  

This is Mamokhele. She is 15 years old. She is the eldest sister to her four siblings- Relebohile, Khotso, Sello, Malofetsane and nephew- Justice. At the age of twelve, Mamokhele lost both of her parents, leaving her eldest sister in charge, who had a young baby. Shortly after her parents passed, her sister also passed away, leaving her, at the age of 12, the head of the household, with five young children to care for. She left school and began selling straw hats and items to make money. However after some time of struggling, the Ministry heard of their situation and looked for someone to support them. A family member was able to take in two of the boys, and the 

Lerobane Foster home took in the others. 

Since coming to the home, Mamokhele has been given back her childhood. She has returned to school, she has Foster Parents to care for her, cook dinner and support her and her younger siblings. After a wonderful Christmas break, Mamokhele requested to visit the village to see her two brothers who had stayed with a family member. When she arrived, she found that the boys were working hard as herd boys, and not attending school. She went back to the Foster Home and requested a second visit. This time, she did not leave them behind. Mamokhele brought her brothers back with her on her return. The two boys are now in a Foster Home close by to her, attending school and being cared for by a lovely Foster Mother. She knew in her heart that she could not quit, she could not leave behind family, and so the brave little girl fought to keep her family together, and ensure that all of her siblings had access to education, nutrition and love. Even though Mamokhele is being cared for, she still takes on a very motherly role in the home, helping cook, clean and care for the younger children. She showed me how to start a fire to cook rice and she talked about her younger siblings and how grateful she is to be at Lerobane. Her strength and bravery is unlike any young girl I have ever known, and I was so honoured to have some time with her- just us girls. 

This is Ntaoleng. She is two years old.

 Ntaoleng was found in the garbage. 

We have no knowledge of her parents, or family and when she arrived at Lerobane, she did not have much hair, she was extremely malnourished, withdrawn and did not react to others. Her story is sadly not out of the ordinary in Lesotho. With over 200,000 orphans in the country, there is no one to care for them. Thankfully for us, and Ntaoleng, she was brought to us where our 'Me Mamosebetsi and Ntate Bohlokoa could feed her, care for her and give her the love and support she deserves. She can now continue to grow as the silly, loving little girl who's smile lights up the room. When thinking of this beautiful child, and discussing her with my friend and travel partner Brad, he remarked that she was the epitome of the saying "one man's garbage is another man's gold". Ntaoleng truly is a tiny piece of gold, and a young girl who now has the opportunity to grow up to be a strong, brave woman. I am so grateful to have met this little girl.

After spending the day at Lerobane and meeting nine remarkable children, we had to say goodbye. It was hard to hug them goodbye and walk down the hill away from them. This is only the first of six foster homes, nine of our 38 children. You get so connected to these smiling faces so quickly. Being able to spend a day with them to play, hug, laugh, read stories and learn about their lives is something I will treasure every day. 

These kids give me fuel to continue to raise awareness, talk about HIV/AIDS, ask for support.
1 in 4 people in Lesotho are HIV+. This has left over 200,000 orphans in a country of only 2 million. Yes, 1 in 10 PEOPLE in this country are orphaned children, just like Ntaoleng and Mamokhele. We can continue to provide support for these children by taking them off the streets, out of orphanages and into homes like Lerobane where they are provided all of the nutrition, medication and support they need and deserve. These orphans are given their childhood back, they are in school, learning, and growing, just as a child should. My heart bleeds for these children. They are the fuel to my passion to continue to work hard to make a difference, no matter how small it may be. We are only providing for a fraction of the orphans in the country. We need support and help to continue to expand and take on more children. The need is so great.

If you want to learn more about Bracelet of Hope and our Foster Homes, you can read more on our website at www.braceletofhope.ca or email me any time at ccoghlan@braceletofhope.ca. If you are a teacher, professor, pastor business person and you'd like to have me speak to your school, class, congregation or at work, let me know, I'd love to share!

No key to the cabinet.

Saturday, August 27, 2016

I awoke around 4am unable to sleep so I read the Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (great book). Around 6am the roosters were 'cock-a-doodle-doo-ing', the nuns were ringing their bell and someone was taking a bath in the washroom beside my bedroom. Dogs were barking, the sun was shining and the day had begun. I curled up in my fleece and rolled over to read more. I finally got up around 8:30am and had a cold shower under a very low pressure stream, but after two days of travel, it felt like the best shower I'd ever had. I wandered around the compound taking photos and listening to music from town.

   

Andy picked us up at noon. We went to his house, met his 208 chickens and his dog. We hopped onto the highway to visit two craft places. The first was a beautiful store in Hlotse, the Leribe Craft Centre. On our way, we were stopped abruptly by the presence of a very large pig in the middle of the road, who did not seem to care that we were on our way to shop! Kids smiled and yelled and ran alongside the car on the hills. Peach trees lined the roads with their beautiful pink flowers. When they are ripe in November, I was told the entire country smells sweet. People hang the skins to dry on clothing lines and children enjoy the sweet taste of the fruit leather. We stopped in at two craft centres. At the second, the Hatoa Mosi Mosali, where they sell crafts from the members of the crafting cooperative Lesotho Mountain Crafts.  I bought many handmade items from the women working so hard there. There were wall hangings, beautiful jewellery, cloth animals, bags and of course, the sweet smiles of adorable children.

 

 

We drove to the Blue Mountain Hotel for a drink and saw a little girl wearing a "Miss Sunday School" sash that she was very proud of. We had a great conversation over our drink. In Lesotho, 1 in 4 people are HIV+ which has left 1 in 10 people in the country as orphaned children. I continue to ask, why does no one care? What can we do to make people realize that although in North America, HIV/AIDS is a very treatable chronic disease, this problem has not been taken care of in the same manner in Lesotho. How do we help? How do we let people know about this crisis?

Andy told us about a story of a boy who had cut open his foot. Andy rushed him to the hospital and waited in the emergency room. A nurse later came out to tell they to wait as they did not have the key to the cabinet for the medication to freeze the boy's foot before giving him stitches. After about 45 minutes, a nurse came back out and asked Andy to bring the boy in, and hold him down. Unknowing to Andy, he was to hold the boy down because she needed to give the boy about ten stitches without the freezing. This was not because the medication wasn't available, it was because the key to the cabinet that held the medication was not available. Sometimes in Lesotho, small issues can make for large problems. There are at times, issues of resource and support. In some public hospitals, there may only be five doctors for up to 200 beds. 

I think of my nephews and the life they have compared to the life the children in Lesotho face. Why are we so lucky to have been born in Canada? Why are we given the abundance that we have, and the health and wealth is not shared? How is there such inequity in the world? There must be a better way to live. A better way to spread resources. How do we empower, support and educate ourselves to spread health and wealth throughout the world?

Big questions for the second day.

For me, it starts with small steps. Take action. Educate myself on what is going on in Lesotho. Go home, fundraise, discuss, share. If you'd like to join me, to learn more about what we are doing for the children of Lesotho, you can read more at our website and you can support these children that you will learn more about over the upcoming two weeks in my blog by becoming a monthly donor or making a donation of any kind to our work here.

As I fell asleep I tried to bring my brain to a lighter place, so I thought of the new words I learned today: 

Ntate "en-dod-day" is the word used for a father, man or in place of Mr./Sir

'Mme "may" is the word used for a mother, woman or in place of Mrs.

Ausi "ow-see" is the word used for a younger woman/girl, or in place of sister/girl

Abuti "a-boot-ee" is the word used for younger men/boy or in place of brother/boy

So far I have been called Ausi, but I have been told it's because I am short, small and look much younger than a 'Me. 

I look forward to tomorrow- I will be attended church onsite here and visiting the first Foster Home, Lerobane. 

Stay tuned...let the adventure begin!

Sala Hantle

C

Don't let your arms get tired!

Time to fly!

Almost ten years to the date I set out on a journey to broaden my horizons, see the world and change my perspective on life. I travelled to Kenya by myself to meet up with a team from Habitat for Humanity from September-October 2006.

It is Friday, August 26, 2016 at 2:40am and I am in a Wimpy Diner in Johannesburg Airport with many other weary travellers sleeping in booths after eating some greasy fries and burgers, trying to pass the time with e-readers, iPhones and journals. This is stop 2/3 on this trek.

I arrived at Pearson on Wednesday, August 24th after a teary goodbye to my husband Mike (we have never been apart this long). The flight from Toronto to Amsterdam was about seven hours. I watched a few movies but could not sleep from the excitement. I was then on to the beast of the flights- the 10.5 hr flight to Johannesburg. We arrived a 9:30pm and everything was closed. I didn't care- I'M BACK IN AFRICA!!! I had so much time to kill, from 10pm-6:40am in the airport.

The flight from Johannesburg to Maseru was only about an hour and a half. I met two out of the six people on the plane, one a reggae musician and the other a social service person who was in Washington at a Mandela convention. We talked the entire way about the state of the world, what we were looking forward to in Lesotho, and where we had come from. When we landed, there were several government officials lined up on the runway to commemorate and remember the 2014 coup. I walked through the gates and there was our Country Representative, Andy, waiting for us. It was so great to see a familiar face.

We hopped into the car and drove to the Maseru mall to get a SIM card, adapter and breakfast. In traditional Knope style, I had waffles. It still felt like a dream, that I had yet to arrive. We then got into the car to start our drive to the nun convent where I would be staying. As we got closer to the city of Hlotse, my heart started to beat fast and the sights and sounds from ten years ago came rushing back. The bright sun, dirt roads, market vendors, the music, laughing children, cows and goats on the side of the road and half built buildings and churches. We drove through small towns and districts with brick homes and tin roofs.

Oh, Dear African Sun, how I have missed you. Yes. This feels like home.  

 

We pulled into the nun's convent to a beautiful little place with several small homes and a hostile for girls who go to school close by. Sister Lebohang greeted us in full nun attire with a big hug and smile. The place is stunning. Beautiful little gardens with succulents growing from nothing, peach trees blossoming, fences tied together with string and driftwood.

This is where I feel I belong. There is a serenity and peace that overtook me and calmed me. I feel settled, calm, this feels like home.

I wandered though the small town, across to the grocery store, around a bustling street full of singers, road side Vodacom booths, vendors selling pork grilled over a small fire and brooms made of straw. As I wandered through the markets I met a woman who stopped to shake my hand and welcome me. We spoke for a few moments and she told me my name should be "Mohau" which means Grace in English.  As I walked the streets, I realized every child I passed was waving and giggling, and I may just be one of the only white people in the village or that they had seen, at least in a while. What a difference to know you stand out, to feel you are being stared at, to not understand the language or the customs and to be seen as someone different.

For all of the feelings of sticking out, the people of Lesotho welcomed me with open arms, shaking my hand, hugging me, saying "Lumela" (hello) and greeting me with smiles.


That night, we met Andy and his partner 'Me Maklompho for dinner at the hotel across the street. I had a tea, pizza and a Maluti beer. We laughed, told stories, and discussed what the next two weeks would bring. When I returned the nun convent, I climbed into my bed that was covered in warm Lesotho blankets and fell asleep with a full heart.

I am so grateful to be in Africa, in Lesotho, and to have this incredible experience. I'm grateful to have a husband who loves and supports me and I'm grateful for the life I have and the home I will return to.

Tomorrow is a new day. A new day in LESOTHO!

Sala Hantle
(Well Wishes)