Second time in Quthing, Lesotho, and I still am amazed by the beauty of this country. Everyday, I look forward to being greeted by the Basotho people, most of who I have never met before but are always more that happy to say 'Lumela M'e, O phela Joang?', they are the friendliest nation  I have had the pleasure of meeting.

Daily Life

Life for the Basotho people is not simple or an easy life. Daily life is hard graft and very physcial:

Living in small spaces with many people

Hand washing clothing and bedding, because washing machines are not common for majority of the population.

Caring for their crops.

Hand selecting the best crops

 As well as fetching water from the village tap, caring for their cattle, there is an exhaustive list of things that we take for granted in the United Kingdom.

Rugby in Quthing

Roy Nyasha from the Federation of Rugby, Lesotho is currently in Quthing, working with local teachers to train 6 primary schools and 4 high schools, with approximately 400 boys and girls in a very full 3 weeks.

Children are enjoying learning life skills: commitment, respect and communication; HIV and diseases; eating healthy; smoking and alcohol abuse through the skills of rugby.

Everyone in Quthing is appreciating this opportunity that they have been given by the team at Dolen Cymru and Lesotho Rugby Federation. A big thank you from all of us on the ground here in Quthing, who can see the benefits to the children and staff.

Active Learning at School 

Teaching is fun and active. Yesterday, a class of 80 children in Grade 4, at Phahameng Primary learnt all about the immune system, a very difficult subject to understand. After introducing the new vocabulary to the children and basics of the immune system the lesson was taken from the cramped classroom to the outdoors.

Children were divided, some children being the white cells and others acting as a virus. A game was invented similar to tag. Children were beginning to understand how their immune system works, making a difficult subject more enjoyable and understandable.

Children using individual chalkboards created from used milk cartons to practice their English phonics.

Thanks to all the School Aid books donated by schools in the UK children in Lesotho are able to read fiction and non-fiction story books independently. 

Children really enjoy reading now they have been given the knowledge of phonics and equipped with books. These boys are showing of their skills to their peers.

The reading books donated by UK schools are even inspiring the teachers. Grade 2 were learning about clothing and constructing simple sentences after listening to a wonderful active rhyming story ‘The Fox has got my socks.’ They loved joining in with all the actions. The children also enjoyed dressing Teddy with his range of clothing.

I have seen great things in all of the schools that have had welsh teachers and school links.

Moyeni Primary school children are enjoying their English lesson, 120 children all using their individual chalkboards, 100 % participation.

Holy Trinity busy with their group work creating different compound words from their matching cards.

Lesotho is a very special country, with the friendliest and kindest people you will ever meet. I have had the time of my life in Lesotho,  it will be extremely difficult to say goodbye!