Dear Friends of Lesotho,

I want to thank you for your contribution in saving the life of an orphaned child. This little boy was brought to our attention during a training workshop for the preschool teachers. As the story unfolded we discovered the grandmother , who was attending the workshop, is not responsible for the care of her daughter's three young children. The daughter died during childbirth and left a newborn baby boy and two other young children in her mother's care. The family lives in the village of Ha Kethisa in teh Mphaki area.

As you can see from the pictures, the three month old boy is extremely malnourished from a diet of water and diluted long-life milk. The preschool teachers and Peace Corps Volunteers attending the workshop contributed to purchasing new bottles, soap, and enough formula to last 3 months. The grandmother was also taught how to properly sterilize the bottles, boil water and mix the formula correctly. With your donation we purchased enough formula to last an additional 4 months; by this time the boy will be old enough to begin taking solid foods.

It is difficult to justify the selection of the individuals within a nation of impoverished people who deserve assistance. This little boy is so malnourished his skin looks like it belonged to a person 80 years old, but his eyes are so alert it is evident he has the drive to live. Because of his inner strength and the willingness of the teachers to pull money from their won pockets, we felt this was a special case. Thank you for contributing to this effort of providing for this baby during his first year of life.

Sincerely,
Jill Bryan

Dear Friends of Lesotho,

Your generosity is much appreciated by the preschool teachers in the Quthing District. With your support we were able to purchase enough fabric to begin a long-term fund-raising project which will go towards helping teachers attend training workshops. The teachers are busy sewing stuffed animals and dolls and plan to begin selling them in the local community soon. After selling 60 toys we estimate making 900 Rand, allowing us to reinvest the 300 Rand you donated into future fund-raisers and keep a profit of 600 Rand. This money is enough to pay full workshop registration fees for 12 teachers.

In addition to the subsidized workshops, the teachers have decided to give 10 animals to the hospital pediatric ward during ECCD Day of the Child. This is a day dedicated for all the children of Lesotho to participate in community service work and a rally to celebrate their culture.

On behalf of the Quthing preschool teachers, I thank you for assisting us in a project that will not only lead to better qualified teachers but also provide toys for the children.

Sincerely,
Jill Bryan