Three Photo Thursday-20 October

Boys raise their hands, eager to participate in the session on Power in Relationships and Consent.

I spent most of this week at Camp BRO Botha Bothe. My friend and the local Ministry of Youth representative organized this boys’ camp to promote gender equality and opened it up to participants from every single school in the district! It was an amazingly good time-and my favorite of the camps I have helped out at thus far in Lesotho. Come back on Monday for more on Camp BRO BB!

Emily rolling her first tortillas!

One of the best parts about Peace Corps’ Pre-Service Training is that we try to follow the Experiential Learning Cycle throughout the training process. For example, when trainees arrive in Lesotho, they move into a host family’s home and begin living like Basotho immediately. Then, in their language and culture sessions, they discuss what that is like before learning why things happen the way they do and reflecting on the experience. Another great example of this is called HVV or the Host Volunteer Visit. This week, all fifty-seven trainees visited currently serving volunteers to see how we live and work in our various communities. When they return to training, they will share and reflect on their experiences to gain a better idea of the life of Peace Corps Volunteers throughout Lesotho. My guest for the week was a trainee named Emily. The people in my village were-as always-thrilled to meet another volunteer and loved when she tested out her growing language skills by greeting them and discussing where she currently lives. Emily, in turn, loved the chance to learn how to cook like an American in Lesotho—especially how to bake on a stovetop and how to make tortillas!

Giving instructions to grade five in Sesotho and English.

As always, teaching life skills is a highlight of my week whenever I am at site. This week, sadly, I did not get to teach my oldest students as they have begun writing their nationalized exams to complete primary school. I taught the younger students about the physical changes that occur during puberty. In both grade four and grade five, the teachers were thrilled that I was discussing puberty with the children. In grade six, we had already covered puberty, so today we discussed HIV. Eleven students volunteered to pull an item out of my grab bag. They then had to explain to everyone else what that item had to do with HIV transmission. For the most part, they did a great job, however, I had them completely stumped when a boy pulled out a spoon. It was a trick item, as a spoon has nothing to do with HIV transmission-sharing silverware with or eating food prepared by an HIV positive individual will not transmit HIV and ensuring everyone understands that is just one way of trying to decrease stigma around HIV. 

Making RUMPs

Sewing and posing all at once-a perfect Saturday afternoon!

I had only been in my village a few months when I noticed a girl in my neighborhood was at home one Monday. She was actively doing chores around the home, but she should have been at school. I asked why she was home and she smiled, telling me she was sick.

I was confused, as she appeared to be perfectly fine. We had the same conversation for another two days, with her still looking perfectly well. The fourth day, she was back at school. 

When I noticed her home again a few months later, I took advantage of my improving language skills and asked more questions. I learned that she was home because she was menstruating. As a single orphan (in Lesotho, single orphans have lost one parent, double orphans have lost both) with a father who works outside of Lesotho, she had no access to menstrual hygiene products and realistically, no money with which to buy them. 

This troubled me until I attend the LGL Summit in June. There I learned an inexpensive and easy way to RUMPs or Reusable Menstrual Pads. Since then, the women in my organization and I have been planning a time to make these with both women and girls in my community. 

One of the things I love about this particular pattern is it does not require special skills or materials. It uses only fabric, towels or other absorbent material, thread, a needle, and a button. The fabric and towel do not even have to be new, just clean, making it the perfect project for people with limited resources. 

The women of my organization and I have been planning this day for a few months, scheduling it for after most of work with the Chicken Coop Construction would be completed. Girls were asked to bring their own fabric, however, I supplied the other sewing materials thanks to my mom and RPCV Lisa supplying me with more sewing notions than I could ever use. 

Finally the day arrived and the fun began!

Step One:

Trace the pattern onto the material and cut it out. You need to copies. 

Step Two:

Hold the two cut pieces together, pretty side in. Place ribbon or material sewn into a strip near the top and bottom of the pad. Pin everything in place. 

Step Three:

Sew the two pieces of fabric together, but stop with a few centimeters not completed. Turn the work right side out and finish stitching. 

Step Three is best done with friends, conversation, laughter and music!

Step Four:

Sew a button on to one wing of the pad and a button hole on the other wing. 

Step Five:

Show off the completed work. The middle pad currently holds towel, to show how
these beautiful works of art with in fact work.

Posing with a pad-pride in accomplishments
and empowerment!

Strike a pose and show off your girl pride!

Moments Make A Day

I quietly close the gate, trying futilely to be invisible as the villagers at the pitso all look at me. I am skipping this community meeting in favor of attending the send off for the seventh graders at the school where I teach Life Skills.

As I walk, I am greeted by two women. After the proper greetings in Sesotho, one says, “When you go?” in English. I look at her, clearly confused, so she repeats herself.

Still lost, I ask in English, “how did I go or when did I go?”

She breaks into a beaming smile, says yes, and then thanks me profusely before heading on her way again. As I walk away, I am stupefied. Was she asking me how my trip was? When my trip was? Or When will I leave Lesotho for good?

Has she asked any of these questions in Sesotho, I would have had no problem understanding her, however, she wanted to use her rudimentary English. This is probably how my Sesotho comes across at times; close but completely incomprehensible.

***

The message the students shared with me at their
closing ceremony: "We would like to thank you Madam Thato
for everything you did to us as Grade 7. We promise you that
 we are going to pass. We will always miss you a lot. Thankx."

Some schools have big parties to celebrate the departure of the seventh graders following their national exams. My school, however, cannot afford to feed everyone, so our send off is subdued. Each student receives some sweets, fruits, a package of cookies, and a loaf of bread. The teachers, including me, each say a few words.

The students rise and thank me in unison for my work with them this year. Then, they sing for us. Finally, the principal challenges them to succeed in high school and lets them know that their results should be in before the school closes in a month.

And with that, they are done with their free education. They will not know until later whether they have passed their exams or will return to Standard 7 again next year. Those who pass will be able to go on to secondary or high school, if their families can afford it.

I know these twenty-seven teens will hold a special place in my memory. Being a small class, the oldest, and the most proficient at English; I got to know them better as individuals than my other classes. And still, I realize how little I know some of them outside of the school.

Only today I learned that the most proficient English speaker in the class, a lovely, bright young woman, is an orphan. She currently lives with her uncle, who takes little interest in her and her education. The principal and I discussed her intended meeting with the uncle. She is going to challenge him to help his niece apply for the government sponsorship so that she can attend secondary school. Over the past few years, teachers at the school have helped find uniform items for this student so she could continue to attend. Assuming her uncle helps her apply for sponsorship, she will need all new uniforms next year. I suggested also pushing him to speak with the Ministry of Social Development as they are starting to help orphans with uniform items and sometimes even with food so that they can attend secondary school. Hopefully, she will be able to continue attending school, as she is simply too bright to stop at such a young age.

***

Later in the day, I want to a friend's. On my way, I bump into another friend of mine. After weeks without seeing one another, we catch up on life. I continue on my walk happy to have such great friends and interactions in my village.

My friend's husband is in the hospital, his cancer having spread to his bones allowing a simple fall to break his hip. I offer her support and commend her energy despite being divided between the shop they have, tending her children, and visiting her husband. Even though life is so difficult for her at the moment, she gives me a cold soda from her stock when I depart the shop.

***

When I return home, I anxiously check my email. This morning I sent a friend in Charleston an article for Charleston Daily. He is a gifted writer and published poet so I am nervously waiting to see what he thinks of my writing. I want to jump for joy when I see his response telling me that the article is just beautiful. Not long afterwards, he emails me the link to the published article.

***

In the evening, my brother, Thabo, comes in for my Sesotho lesson. We talk and bond for an hour before the other brothers join us for our movie time. After my brothers say goodnight, I prepare for bed, overjoyed by the little moments that make each day different and special in this beautiful country.  ***

Going to School

Grade 4 students work on a decision making scenario.

The school year in Lesotho begins in late January or early February. In addition to a short break for Easter, students get around six weeks off between the end of June and early August. Then, the second second semester runs from early August until exams are completed in late November with a week off just before Independence Day, which is October 4.

Beginning in February, I have been going to the local primary school on a weekly basis to co-teach Life Skills with the teachers. We are teaching grades 4, 5, 6, and 7 life skills in 40 minute blocks. Every time I visit, I see a over 150 students in the four sessions. While the classes for grades 4 and 7 are relatively small, with 27-31 students; grades 5 and 6 are more than double those numbers. This makes planning their lessons a bit trickier.

Young students say goodbye after
I complete my classes.

One of my favorite things about visiting the school each week is the excitement with which the students and even the faculty greet me. They are always thrilled when I arrive, even those that I do not teach! As I approach the school, my arrival is heralded by calls of “Ausi Thato! Buh-bye, Ausi Thato!” as most children do not realize there are different words for hello and goodbye in English. Similarly, every time I pass between classes or begin my departure, I hear a chorus of voices calling my name and waving. It is a good thing the teachers also like me or they would begin to resent the exciting distraction that is me!

It has been truly eye opening to interact with students in the classroom. Schools here in Lesotho have a much different methodology than what is touted in American classrooms. Corporal punishment is acceptable and used when students commit any number of infractions including refusing to answer or answering even answering incorrectly, because students are used to this, it can be harder to use the usual engagement methods I adopted during my decade of experiential education in America. It also makes students more reticent to speak up if they are uncertain their answer is correct. Students who arrive at my school late are expected to remain standing at their desks for duration of school that day. I have even been offered a stick by a teacher, just in case I needed it.

After speaking with the principal and teachers to determine how I could be of use at the school, I was mentally prepared to teach in mostly English with occasional Sesotho for harder concepts. By the end of primary school, students are expected to be able to learn in English only. Unfortunately, my English accent can be hard for students to understand and many simply do not try. As a result, I often find myself teaching in both English and Sesotho. This is great for improving my Sesotho, although I worry I am doing the students a disservice as they will learn in only English if they go on to high school or secondary school.

We have adapted to each other well over the course of the school year and now I eagerly prepare my lesson plans in things like communication, decision making, creativity, and sexual and reproductive health. I was particularly excited when I recently spoke with the principal and grade 7 teacher about covering sexual and reproductive health. The school is Catholic and I worried they would frown on the idea of teaching the subject. The principal, however, agreed it was a vital topic as the students would soon be going to school with children from other villages and “they might be bad children.”

Grade 7 playing Condom Time Bomb to the
 tune of "Let's Talk About Sex."

As a result, my last few lessons of the year focused on the importance of the ABCs: abstinence, being faithful to one partner, and using condoms as well as the science of HIV and how to prevent infection. We discussed questions the students asked anonymously via a question box left in the classroom and debunked misconceptions about HIV. These were definitely some of my favorite life skills classes thus far, especially since they are so vital to the students' safety in the next two decades of their life. Here in Lesotho, most people contract HIV between 15 and 35 through unprotected sex. The HIV positive rate actually doubles in under two decades!  

With the grade 7 students.

Condom "balloons" filled with questions for Condom
Time Bomb!