My Heroes: Three Inspiring Basotho Women

Throughout my Peace Corps service, I have constantly been amazed and impressed by the strength, passion, and commitment to community I have seen in Basotho women. Whether the women of my former host organization, my host mother, colleagues, or friends, I have been awed and learned so much from these women over the past four years.

Today, it is my pleasure to introduce you to three incredible, strong, inspirational women that I have had the luxury to work with and befriend over the last few years. 

PONTSO

Some of the GLOW 2015 Leadership Team:
Sarah, me, Pontso, and Megan at the end of camp.

I first met Pontso in 2014 at Camp GLOW [Girls Leading Our World]. I was immediately drawn to her enthusiasm when addressing the campers during a career panel. She passionately spoke about getting her Masters in Sociology and the challenges she had overcome in her life to get to that point.

Over the next year, we worked together regularly on the planning team for the 2015 Camp GLOW. She was invaluable in ensuring the most vulnerable girls were included in camp and that we created the most dynamic and applicable topics. During camp, she again blew me away with her readiness to help out in every way imaginable, on top of taking care of her own responsibilities.

Since then, we have transitioned from work partners to friends. It has been fascinating to follow her journey. She is a manager with the Ministry of Social Development. She has applied and been accepted to multiple international programs including participating in the World Festival of Youth and Students in Russia last year, was a 2017 Young Global Changer chosen as part of The Think Summit in Germany, the African Union’s Youth Volunteer Corps (like Peace Corps but for countries in the African Union), and most recently the US’s Mandela Washington Fellowship which is the top opportunity through the US State Department’s Young African Leaders Initiative started under the Obama Administration. She was also honored as one of Africa's Brightest Young Minds in 2017! 

A recent newspaper article about Pontso's volunteer development work. 

In addition to these great opportunities, she continues to volunteer her time to improve the lives of Basotho people. When she was living in Masuoe, an area on the outskirts of Maseru, she became passionate about the impacts of climate change on the local environment. Even though she has moved from that community, she is working with community members, empowering them to work to improve the impact of soil erosion and safety on their community. 

LERATO

Lerato and I goof off together
after teen club in 2016. 

Lerato works at Baylor College’s Pediatric HIV Clinic, where she provided support to patients and coordinates the Teen Club Support Group for HIV positive youth. She is a firecracker of a young woman. At teen club, her bond with the members of the club was constantly evident. She challenged them in positive ways to embrace their situation and take responsibility for their own health.

In addition to being great at her paid job, Lerato is also an outspoken HIV+ advocate. She regularly gives talks around the country sharing her own story and challenging stigmatization of HIV. She was first diagnosed with HIV in 2007 as a teenager. When she shares this story, it’s hard. She does not shy away from her mother’s negative reaction and the loneliness and isolation she felt when she first found out she has HIV.

Voting via SMS for the Finite Awards will finish before the
Ceremony and Gala in August of 2018. 

Thankfully, her story does not end in 2007, with heartbreak. Lerato is a strong and healthy woman. She adheres to her Antiretroviral Therapy. She and her mother repaired their relationship. She has twin daughters who are now seven and HIV negative as a result of successful Prevention of Mother-To Child-Transmission. She uses her experiences and challenges through motivational talks and to help the teens she counsels and supports. 

Last year she helped organize a large and unique HIV testing event. It involved a fun walk, motivational and educational speakers helping to de-stigmatize HIV, HIV testing, and lunch. Almost four hundred people participated in the event with 154 being tested for HIV. 

This year, she is a finalist for the Survival Heroes category of the annual Finite Women Appreciation Awards, which is an award offered by Finite Magazine in Lesotho to women. I, for one, definitely think this is a well-deserved nomination and wish I was still going to be here to attend the Gala with her in August!

LINEO

Lineo and I strike a pose in traditional and modern
cultural dress at the Cultural Day she organized.

I met first met Lineo because she was a counterpart for my fellow volunteer, Nick. She is a faculty member at Leribe Agricultural Skills Training Center. In addition to this, she is incredibly active in the community. She planned and coordinated a huge Cultural Day for the school and local community in 2015.

Last year she qualified for and participated in a regional YALI [Young African Leaders Initiative] Summit in Civic Leadership. She has made the final rounds for the Mandela Washington Summit twice in recent years. Currently, in addition to working to improve agricultural efforts and food security if rural areas of Lesotho; she also spearheaded a project called Barali (daughters in Sesotho).

Barali is a project to decrease school dropouts due to early pregnancy. Working with local Child and Gender Protection officers, she visits area schools to teach young women about their sexual and reproductive rights ad HIV. As she gets to know the young women at specific schools, she works with local leadership to combat the challenges these young women face such as early marriage, gender based violence, etc.

Through Barali, she is fostering dialogue, working with many local partner organizations, and empowering adolescent girls to have the confidence to make their own decisions. She held an event in May to encourage girls to be bold enough to buy their own condoms; something most young women in Lesotho are hesitant to do. Over five hundred local youth participated in the event.

I cherish the moments we steal to reconnect
now that we live further apart. It is always
inspiring to hear what Lineo is working on. 

Currently Barali is hosting a campaign called “Hear My Story” which is sharing stories about women who have had abortions. Abortion is illegal in Lesotho, so women and girls who feel they must have one typically do not have them done by medical professionals. They are often dangerous and lead to medical complications. Seeking medical care after an illegal abortion can also lead to prosecution. The effort of this campaign is to highlight the challenges, stigma, and desperation that women and girls encounter as a result of becoming pregnant.

Even Lineo’s facebook page has become a tool for discussion. She often starts conversation about the impact of perceptions on our sexual health. It’s truly amazing to see the way she fosters important dialogue about culturally sensitive topics on social media.

Camp BRO

The Camp BRO bros

“I want to start a hospital that has a neurosurgeon,” a young man says in response to fellow PCV

Danielle’s question asking for the fifty boys what their goals are.

It is Saturday morning and I am exhausted after staying up the night before doing evening activities with the same boys. I am exhausted but profoundly happy.

Camp BRO [Boys Respecting Others] is the male equivalent to the Camp GLOW I co-directed in September. Unlike in September, however, I am not in charge this time. This means that I have the energy and enthusiasm to lead energizers and activities and to joke around with the guys.

Nt Lebohang from the Business
Economic Development Corporation
leads a session on business.

Yolanda, an amazing woman that lived in my training village back in Pre-Service Training, has done an astounding job planning the camp. Nearly all the sessions-covering topics including goal setting, leadership, business skills, career development, gender, and sexual reproductive health-have at least one host country speaker or organization leading the session. This helps the participants to connect with a number of professionals in their community but also dramatically increases the amount of effort Yolanda has had to invest in communicating and planning.

Danielle smiling during her HIV test.

Not long after Danielle and Adrian's session on goal setting, a woman from the local clinic arrives to offer HIV testing throughout the day. Since the boys are in a session on business development, Danielle and I jump on the opportunity to take HIV tests. After the session concludes, we skip into the hall and share the testing opportunity by showing them our testing strips. Abuti Khotso, a sassy and fun young man, challenges me, “Would you show us if you were HIV positive?” I surprise him by letting him know that yes, I would in fact show them my results even if I had HIV. He notes that HIV is a death sentence, which opens the door for Danielle and me to share that if an HIV positive person takes anti-retrovirals correctly, HIV is now less dangerous than other common conditions in Lesotho like high blood pressure or diabetes.

Later in the day, I am co-facilitating the session on Sexual Reproductive Health with some volunteers from the Lesotho Red Cross. As I discuss the female reproductive system, I am again surprised as most of the many questions I am asked are about the biology and genetics of reproduction, not sex.

That night we have a bonfire with s’mores. Jamilla, another PCV, starts doing some call and response camp songs. When Boom Chicka Boom begins, I jump up with enthusiasm. I have not sung my favorite verses of this camp classic in years and I am absurdly excited.

The new BRO Club president hands
out certificates to his Bros.

Living in my community in rural Botha Bothe, I forget that I am great working with youth. I keep myself busy with Grassroot Soccer programs, teaching life skills at school, and working with the women in myorganization. This work, however, happens predominantly in Sesotho. When I work in Sesotho, I find I lose the playfulness of my personality and I have to work so much harder to convey my content or explain activities. At camps like GLOW and BRO, however, I am working with high school students, who are more accustomed to English. I find my personality returns and the work is more fun and less work. It is a great reminder as to what had me teaching in the classroom, on ships, and in the woods.

So that said, thanks Yolanda for all of your efforts in planning this camp. And thanks to the rest of the camp staff-‘M’e ‘Mahlapi, Adrian, Corinne, Ryan, Jamilla, and Danielle-working with you was wonderful!

Adrian catches a water balloon during a relay.

PCV Profile: Nick

Nick hanging out with his youngest host brother Thabiso.

Within my training group, there are only fifteen of us spread throughout seven of Lesotho's ten districts. Only one person in the group lives within a few hours of me: Nick. As a result, he has become my closest PCV pal-both geographically and in actuality. Consequently, I have been to multiple special events at LASTC, his workplace, including graduation and a cultural day.

Although the youngest in our training group, Nick is possibly the most ambitious. With only four of our twenty-seven months remaining, Nick already knows his path for the next 7 to 10 years. In the fall, he will begin graduate school to earn a Masters of Public Health at one of the many schools smart enough to accept him (his acceptance rate is currently 100%!). Focusing on global health will help him prepare for medical school and a career as a traveling physician-think Doctors Without Borders.

Nick's background makes him a perfect match for a health-related role in Peace Corps Lesotho, yet, his assignment is predominately youth development. Despite studying neuroscience as an undergrad and holding his CNA license, in Lesotho, Nick has lived the life of an educator. He works for a tertiary school offering two-year certificates in agriculture and business. His work at the Agric Skills Training Center consists predominantly of teaching life skills, communication, and computers. While these subjects do not appear to be a perfect match for him, Nick has adapted his other experiences well to his current role as a PCV.

Nick with colleagues at the LASTC Cultural Day.

He uses his experiences as a founding member of his university's Toastmasters Club to enhance his public speaking classes. His passion for computers and technology have provided fodder for his computer classes and for helping the school staff improve grading programs and more. Life Skills classes have provided the most opportunities for his interest in health as it is impossible to teach life skills in Lesotho without discussing sexual and reproductive health and HIV/AIDS.

Aside from his primary assignment, which takes up a large amount of time, Nick regularly participates in Peace Corps activities. He has spent our entire service as the PC security representative for his district, which includes weekly communication between PCVs and the Peace Corps office. He is on the Information, Communication, and Technology committee, which he co-chaired last year. He also helped significantly with my Camp GLOW last year.

Luckily for the school, one of Nick's greatest flaws is also a huge asset: generosity. As the school has not computers for his computer class, Nick has spent the last two years teaching dozens of students using only his tiny, "ancient" personal laptop. This will hopefully change before he finishes his work in Lesotho as Nick and his school have recently been approved for a Peace Corps Partnership Program grant to build a computer lab with ten desktops.

As Nick prepares to head off to the University of Arizona for graduate school, it will be fun to watch his ambitions become realities.

Kathy and Nick are wild animals in the roadway after
hiking at Tsehlanyane National Park.

View other PCV Profiles.

Camp GLOW Photos

I uploaded a bunch of photos from Camp GLOW recently. When you have a moment, be sure to enjoy them at the web album! Here is a sampling...

Camp GLOW!!

Camp GLOW campers with the Queen of Lesotho

Yesterday, I delivered a speech for the Queen of Lesotho, 'M'e 'Masenate Mohato Seeiso, and the Deputy Minister of Gender. Yesterday, my public speaking was broadcast on the national news. What is really important, however, is that yesterday, Camp GLOW North 2015 concluded. Yesterday, 190 young women from four districts and 19 schools in Lesotho returned home ready to start GLOW clubs and become positive leaders of change in their communities.

Over the last eight months or so, I have been working on Camp GLOW. GLOW, which stands for Girls Leading Our World, is a global Peace Corps program. Its vision is to empower young women to become leaders in their communities with six goals: gender equality, self esteem, leadership, health, aspiration, and volunteerism.

Our camp was the largest such undertaking in Lesotho thus far. The multi-district camp began last year with PCVs who have since completed their service. They passed it on to us and we significantly expanded on their successes last year. Working with three other PCVs, two representatives from the Ministry of Gender, Youth, Sport, and Recreation, one from the Ministry of Social Development, and one teacher from a school that participated last year, we met regularly to ensure schools were invited to participate, the grant was written, more local partners were found, and the school was ready to be turned into a camp for five days. Despite years in similar programming, I had never planned a program for a site not designed for said programming. It was overwhelming the number of additional details required when turning a school into a camp site for a week!

Obviously, we accomplished it. Last Friday, just over twenty PCVs and Basotho staff arrived for our staff training. Then, before we were ready, it was Saturday and girls began arriving. Despite being exhausted before camp even began, it was impossible not to be energized by the enthusiasm of the girls. As each taxi arrived, the girls would pile out with shouts, dancing, and hugs!

In no time, camp was in full swing. The young women participated in sessions to help them reach the six goals of GLOW. At the same time, an advisor from each school participated in training sessions to help them adapt to leading such a dynamic club in a manner quite different from teaching here.

The Programming Directors and my
awaiting the Queen's arrival.

There were, of course, the usual challenges. More of my time than I would have liked was spent running around taking care of medical issues, discussions about food quantity with the two school cooks, and simply trying to make sure everyone else had what they needed for the camp to be successful while also co-leading the Advisors' sessions and trying to participate in the regular camp activities. These girls, however, made it all worth it. Every time they saw me passing, they greeted me with an incredible amount of love.

Career Panel speakers and organizers.

The campers participated in so many incredible sessions throughout the week. The FLAG or Fight Like a Girl facilitators from Qacha's Nek came and met with every girl and the staff/advisors that wanted to participate, teaching them ways to escape should they be attacked. This was definitely a favorite activity. There were sessions on Goal Setting, Leadership, Tie Dye, Empowering Others, Self Esteem and Positive Body Image, Sexual and Reproductive Health, HIV Prevention, Human Trafficking and Gender Based Violence, Yoga, Aerobics, CV (resume for the Americans) Writing, friendship bracelets, and much more. There was an amazing career panel with Basotho women in a variety of careers sharing their experiences, the challenges they had to overcome, and how to get into their field. In the evenings, we had a movie night, a dance party complete with GLOW sticks, and an amazing bonfire/talent show on our last evening.

The Advisors with their certificates
showing completion of their training.

During the bonfire/talent show, I sat in the school's office with the camp leadership team. We needed to find a student speaker for the closing ceremony, one who could handle speaking not only to the entire camp but to a number of distinguished guests. We had five nominations from counselors so we called each of them in to ask them to tell us about their week at camp and what they felt they had gained from the experience. I have never had such incredible feedback from campers or students during a program. With no time to think, the campers each shared powerful praise for the impact camp would have on their lives. A few of them had attended the previous year and still had nothing but praise for how this second camp changed them. One of the girls wrote her thoughts down before sharing, she said, “I did not know how to trust in myself, then after that [the session on empowerment], I just told myself that I will be who I am and do whatever I want to do as long as it is the right thing.” She concluded her thoughts with “You showed us that you love and care for us and you want us to have a better future.”

In all of the chaos that ensued our final morning as we prepared to change the site from camp back to school, prepared 250 campers, advisors, and staff for departure, and prepared for the arrival of our incredibly distinguished guests, it was too easy for me to focus on the right now. But this camp was not about right now. Everything we stressed with the campers and the advisors was focused on the future. Camp was not simply about five incredible days, it was about returning to school and starting a GLOW club to teach the same lessons and activities to other girls. It was about young women deciding they can determine their own future. They can set goals and achieve them. They can serve as leaders in their communities. They can.

'M'e Masenate Mohato Seeiso bestow certificates to the
GLOW Junior Counselors. 

The queen was clearly impressed by our camp and our young women. I was standing with her assistant, who was stunned when the queen deviated from her prepared words at the end of her speech; suggesting that next year her daughter could be able to attend Camp GLOW and that she and her daughter might try to visit some of the clubs the girls would be forming!

When I took all of this on a year ago, I had no idea how big it would become. I have reached a point of exhaustion not encountered in years. My voice is trying not to disappear entirely. I spent five nights sleeping on a thin mattress on the cement floor of a computer lab with twenty other women. And, I am still overwhelmed by the amount of reporting and paperwork I need to do in order to fully close out the camp and the grant from Peace Corps that made it all possible, but it was definitely worth it.

Campers do Grassroot Soccer Activities with Torle and her counterpart Maseru

Campers participate in a session on Sexual and Reproductive Health

Camp Staff, Junior Counselors, and distinguished guests after the closing ceremony

I must give huge thanks to the camp staff, the campers, the schools, the principals, the advisors, the distinguished guests who helped close camp, and especially my partners on the Camp Planning Committee. A project this big could never have succeeded without their help!

PCV Profile: Mackenzie

Mackenzie and me at Bushfire

One of the life skills classes

My dear friend Mackenzie and I sat together on our fifteen hour flight from America to Africa last year. Prior to Peace Corps, she worked in Lesotho. Peace Corps had always been a goal for her and she is certainly maximizing her experience now that she is here.

I really admire her openness, positive attitude, and creative soul. She is one of the most unique women I have encountered and every time we talk, I leave our conversations feeling both happy and inspired.

Mackenzie lives not far from the capital of Lesotho, Maseru. She works with Blue Cross, a drug abuse prevention and treatment organization working throughout the country. Her work as a Peace Corps Volunteer with such a well established organization is far different than my own loosely structured organization, job, and site. She is an incredibly busy woman!

Both women's soccer teams that Mackenzie coaches.

She teaches life skills classes with the people in the inpatient drug and alcohol abuse rehabilitation program. Additionally, she is out in the community constantly. She teaches life skills at two primary schools and two high schools in the surrounding area every week. She meets with two HIV+ Support Groups through Red Cross; one for men and one for women. She has a women's walking group that meets weekly and an after school youth running club that runs three times weekly. She even uses her weekends for work, coaching two women's soccer teams. She has helped put together women's soccer tournaments through Blue Cross.

The "I Aspire to Be" Chalkboard

Somehow in the midst of all of those activities, she also has found time to do some really neat projects in the community. Her creative spirit has been put to great use and can be seen throughout her community. Outside a local shop is now an "I Aspire to Be..." chalkboard where people can declare and share their dreams. She and men from the community have been painting red ribbons throughout area villages to increase HIV awareness.

Although it is still in the early stages, she is working with her community to start a piggery as an income-generating activity for the community members.

The empowered women of Camp Glow

Additionally, Mackenzie co-planned and co-directed a GLOW (Girls Leading Our World) camp in her area last month. The camp was a 3-day camp with 60 young women from seven Maseru District schools attending. It was a huge success with exclusively local funding. The campers participated in sessions on leadership, self empowerment, HIV Prevention, gender equality, drug and alcohol abuse, and how to start a GLOW club at their own school. After it received local television attention, people starting contacting Blue Cross so she is already contemplating doing a second camp before we finish our service!

Life skills graduates at Blue Cross

Mackenzie and a counterpart working on the chalkboard

All photos provided by Mackenzie.