Projects:
Evaton West Community
Garden Project
Act!
Gardens of Hope
Tsepong Clinic is an HIV/AIDS Clinic in Leribe, Lesotho. It was named
“the place of hope” as it was the first government
clinic to provide ARV treatment to people living with HIV/AIDS.
Since its began to offer ARVs in 2004, almost 2,500 patients have
registered as patients. The project at Tsepong Clinic is supported
jointly by the Ontario Hospital Association and The Change Foundation.The
Change Foundation is the primary funder for the first 3 years. The official
title of the project is OHAfrica.
Located in the camp town of Leribe District at Motebang Hospital, the
clinic serves a population of over 144,000 adults. The adult
prevalence of HIV infection is 30%, which translates to over 44,000 adults
living with HIV/AIDS in the catchment area of the clinic. Therefore, Tsepong
Clinic has seen an overwhelming influx of patients seeking treatment,
which will only continue to grow. SOLID visited the Tsepong Clinic in
2005 with a view to building a permaculture garden for the clinic population;
this dream is being realized by the clinic's People Living With AIDS group
and the Stephen Lewis Foundation.
Proper nutrition is an imperative aspect of HIV/AIDS wellness, and especially
important when a patient is on ARV treatment. Good nutrition can
help maintain and improve the nutrition status of a persona living with
HIV/AIDS and delay the progression from HIV to AIDS-related disease.
One of the main issues for people living with HIV/AIDS is poverty, a damaging
social condition that often inhibits many Basotho from affording a balanced
diet. The lack of access to resources seriously jeopardizes their health.
The garden is maintained by Phelisanang Bophelong members, a support
group for people living with HIV/AIDS in Leribe district, a group
whose membership has grown from 30 to 200 in the last few months. The
garden will exist on the hospital location, protected by security guards.
Not only does the garden act as a teaching tool to the patients of Tsepong,
but also acts as a tool to the rest of the hospital staff and patients.
It is SOLID's hope that the Phelisanang Bophlong group will continue to
develop their relationship with the Molapo
High School's Tree Nursery group.
The second aspect of this project is to create a memorial rose garden
outside of the front doors of Tsepong Clinic. It is a peaceful, hopeful
location for patients to bask in the sun while waiting in line to see
a doctor or physician. Since the pandemic has created a whirlwind of family
and friend losses, many individuals have failed to have time to reflect
on lost loved ones. This garden will act as a memorial for patients
and staff who have lost family and friends due to the pandemic of
HIV/AIDS.
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