It takes more than money to pull off a successful development project… That has been my lesson in Lesotho. It takes patience, knowing the right people, understanding the needs and capabilities of a community, and getting the right kind of “buy in” from locals. Luckily, that was exactly the potent combination of circumstance and opportunity that I had by my 9th month in Lesotho.
My parent’s hometown church, New Monmouth Presbyterian Church, was gracious enough to donate $250 to my work in Lesotho early last year. What might seem a meager amount to some people in America has the ability to go a LONG WAY in Lesotho… But I knew that wasn’t enough. So I waited. The money sat in my account for months. I didn’t even tell my Supervisor or Basotho friends… I just waited til the right opportunity presented itself, and eventually it did.
In early August, one of my favorite colleagues, Ntate Masiu, sat down at my desk in the Science lab for a relatively typical Monday morning chat… The hot topic for that morning turned out to be a rant about how the school was usurping use of the Science Lab, by using it as an office space for the copier and computer, rather than a place for Science. As Math and Science teachers, we both agreed that we’d love to convert it into a more useable, student friendly space, but how? The problem wasn’t about physical space (after all, we had a new staffroom full of empty rooms), it was about access to electricity. You see, Linokong High School doesn’t have any. We use a generator to sparingly power the copier and computer, only when needed. Unfortunately, the Science Lab was the only building on campus that was 1) wired for electricity with outlets, and 2) was connected to the generator (in a separate building). So Ntate Masiu and I hatched a plan…
We surmised that IF we could put electricity into the staffroom, we could eventually transfer the school administrative offices/equipment into the staffroom…. Thus leaving the Science Lab free to be used for it’s intended purpose. He had a friend who was an electrician in the neighboring district, who we called, and after a little friendly chit-chat agreed to help us. I knew some local shop owners in the camptown… And we were off!
We gathered multiple supplies quotes within a matter of days, got a quote from the electrician, asked around privately for some bo-Ntate who we knew would be willing to provide free labor, and then I broke the good news… If the School Board would agree to give us about half the funds, I could guarantee the other half of the project funds! It was so exciting to sit down with my Principal and Ntate Masiu, to tell them about the funds… And do it in a way where I KNEW the project could be successful. Ntate Masiu was incredibly hands-on as Project Manager, and we already had everything lined up. All they needed money… And thanks to some incredibly generous people in America, I could provide them with exactly that!
Two weeks later, we’d successfully presented our budget and project proposal to the board, had been approved for the remaining funds, and were buying the supplies! It took 48 hours, 3 incredibly diligent workers, approximately R6000 ($600), and a big pan of brownies… But it was all worth it, when the teachers came back to school on Monday to a staffroom full of electrical outlets, lights, and switches.
The school’s generator which was being wired to run electricity to the staffroom.
The school staffroom (right) and the generator bldg (left, behind the truck)…
Lots of wires = lots of progress!
Ntate Masiu was HARD at work all weekend, but SO excited to be making it happen!
Horray for outlets and light switches! A rare sight in this village!
Our fabulous electrician, who was VERY excited about the prospect of ‘Me Limpho’s brownies!
View from the entrance to the staffroom building. Under construction and looking good!
In retrospect, the entire project was HUGE lesson to me in timing, and having full support from locals. As anyone who has ever done development work in Africa can tell you, everything turns out to take longer and be more complicated than you could ever imagine… But with the right people and timing, our project was completed in just over one month, and was a great step forward for the school and it’s students.
Rea leboha haholo, batho ba New Monmouth Presbyterian Church!
Thank you so much to the people of New Monmouth Presbyterian Church!
With Love from Lesotho… –Mary E.
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