February 24, 2012 - Thank You

I should like to give a VERY BIG thanks to the following people:
 Zalka Ancely
 Xochitl Benson
Jeffrey W. Bracken
Audry de Lucia
Jedd de Lucia
Wayne Douglas
Erik & Denise Dukatz
Judea Eden
Paul Fisher
Lance Garcia
Joe Golling
Holly Gongob
Kate Goodnight
Dawn Hayes
Michelle Hironimus
Ian Hunter
Dawn Huston
Fran Herman
Marsha Herman
Karen Lindquist
Dottie Lutz
Teddie Main
Rafael Moller
Anita Noad
Andrew Poirot
Robert Roll
RPCVs of Colorado
Darlene & Bob Shadel
Kaye Thompson
Julie Trestman
 
Today, because of your generous donations, we bought the raw materials for bringing electricity to Mopeli Government Primary School!!!!  Work on the actual installation will begin next week.  THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU.  With this installation, we shall be one of the very few primary schools in all of Lesotho with electricity.  In fact, I believe there are fewer than three or four primary schools in the entire country right now with electricity.  
For those of you who are still interested in making a donation, please contact audry@ellaprint.com or fran@ellaprint.com.  You see, as soon as the work on this phase of my project has finished, I shall begin working on phase II, a decent road to the school so that an outreach clinic can come to us once a week to give vaccinations, well-baby check-ups, nutrition and HIV/AIDs education classes and many more things to the community!  Phase II of our project will benefit more that 10 villages in our area.
If you have been a contributor to our cause and your name is not on the list above, please accept my apologies and a great big thank you.  This is the list of donors that was given to me by the Peace Corps office.
I shall be sure to keep all of you posted on our progress.  Rusty

Friday, February 17, 2012

Here I am helping to re-thatch the roof of my home.

It's hard to believe I’ve been back in Lesotho for almost a month now!  Time does fly when one is happy and busy.  It’s still summertime here…actually, it’s a very warm autumn, and I am just relishing the sun and heat, trying to take in enough to sustain me during the cold winter months.

So much has happened since my last entry:

1 I have changed places in which I live; I now live in a lovely mokhora on the compound of Ntate and ‘M’e Monyane.  As of two days ago, electricity has been added!

2 Seventy-five percent of the project for electricity in Mopeli Government Primary School has been successfully funded, thanks to the incredible generosity of my friends in the U.S.A.  I have been trying to get your names so that you can be properly and individually thanked, but am having some trouble, so please accept this general thank you until I receive more specific information.

3 My third…and PROUDEST item…is Perry Grace de Lucia was born on January 10, 2012.  I am now grandma to three lovely children.

4 My young friend, Ausi Mathabo Nyamane, is still doing quite well in her second year of high school.  Last year she was the second in her class!

5 We are all working very hard to complete the electricity part of my Peace Corps project so that we can begin to build a decent road to the school.

6 Each day I am happier with the fact that I am working for the Peace Corps; it is a wonderful organization.  I am also more aware, each day, of the overwhelming amount of material wealth available to all Americans We are a very lucky country.

7 Tsoene Mathata has adjusted quite well to his new environs; he makes himself at home in the Monyane’s house and HAS NOT attacked any of their chickens!  He is in love with their cat, Little Kitty, and growing fat!Here are Tsoene and Little Kitty relaxing together (on MY pillow)!

8 The two additional classrooms at Lepholisa are almost completed; they now need floors and ceilings.  I was hoping they’d be ready for the new school year, but as I’ve told you before, things happen in their own time here in Lesotho.

9 Finally, my visit to Washington and California was wonderful!  I enjoyed being with my children and grandchildren and learned that I am ready to settle in a warm climate when I return to the U.S.A. 

This is a cart which passing by the back of my mokhoro.

Here some children are bringing a meal home for their 'M'e. 'M'e Mathabo has given them a bag of maize meal because they had no food.

This was when i was living in the back of the church; the rooster came out to eat some of Tsoene's food.
 
My new home is bigger than the last mokhoro, so there’s plenty of room for guests!  If you are up to a real adventure on an incredible continent, come visit!!!  I’d love to see you.  ‘Till next time, Rusty