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A SCHOOL FOR HA MAKHATA In Sub-Saharan Africa, a generation of parents is missing, mothers and fathers who have died of AIDS, leaving their children to struggle for survival. It has been estimated that in the near future, there will be twenty million African children orphaned by AIDS, many themselves infected with the disease, their inheritance poverty and hunger. One of the hardest-hit places on the African continent is the small, landlocked country of Lesotho.
In the barren foothills of the Maluti mountains, a remarkable young woman is providing a home for thirty-seven disabled children whose parents have died of AIDS. Mamello Lehlotha is 28 years old, and walks with a limp, the result of a childhood illness. She knows firsthand what it is like to live in a culture where even crossing the path of a disabled person is considered bad luck. Despite this – or perhaps because of it - she has a wonderful strength of spirit, a sense of humor and a clear picture of what she wants to accomplish.
Near the village of Ha Makhata, Mamello has been working since the year 2000 to give a safe haven to the mentally and physically handicapped. As founder and director of the Phelisanong Disabled HIV-AIDS Orphans and Vulnerable Children Community Project , she oversees a resource center for disabled adults and children, several HIV-AIDS support groups, a farm, a pre-school, a handicraft cooperative and an outreach program that serves twenty villages in the area.
With the help of SOLID, a tree nursery has been established to provide fuel and building materials. Permaculture gardens have been laid out that provide healthy food for both the orphans and local AIDS-infected adults. A greenhouse will be built so that the group can extend its growing season and produce seedlings for sale. (See Gardens of Hope) At a recent conference, Mamello spoke about the Phelisanong project and its needs. First and foremost, she would like to see her charges have the opportunity to get an education. "Some of the children are brilliant," she said. They just need encouragement ... – and they need a school. She showed photos of the younger children sitting outdoors on the ground, at the feet of a teacher. She also talked about the importance – and the difficulty - of reaching adults and children who live far back in the hills and who are still ignorant of HIV-AIDS and its devastating effects. She said that ARV’s (anti-retroviral drugs), when available, are at a clinic which is two hours away from Ha Makhata over a bumpy road. In the course of conversation, these areas were identified in which the Phelisanong project could most use support. 1.THE SCHOOLHOUSE The school will be intended to house forty or fifty children, ages six to thirteen years. It will be built using the traditional construction methods of the Lesotho countryside: local stones for the walls and a thatched or corrugated metal roof. The long, rectangular building will have interior walls dividing it into classrooms and each classroom will have a door that leads directly outside, making it easily accessible for children on crutches and in wheelchairs. In each classroom, there will be benches for the students and a chair and table for the teacher.
See the latest preparations for the schoolhouse here 2.THE TRUCK The immediate need for the Phelisanong community is a means of transportation. In the rugged, hilly landscape of Lesotho, that means a four wheel drive vehicle that can reach the most inaccessible mountain villages.
3. STUDENTS AND TEACHERS The third phase of this project will begin when the school has been completed. This will provide ongoing support for the individual students, including food for school lunches, and also such teaching materials as books, paper, pencils, maps, chalk board and chalk. It will also cover teachers salaries for the first two years and it will allow for the purchase of (locally-made) school benches and tables. Support for this phase of the project could be taken over by a school class in the U.S., Canada or Europe, and would encourage communication or “twinning” between two school classes. 4.ADDITIONAL HOUSING As word of the Phelisanong project spreads, it is anticipated that more and more disabled children will arrive, seeking shelter, support and education. Another phase of this funding project would involve the building of at least two additional dormitories for children. As with the schoolhouse, buildings will be constructed from local materials. ====================================================================== ESTIMATED COSTS 1. Schoolhouse: Doors, windows, doorframes……………………………………………………..20,000 Rand Building material (transportation of stones to site)……………................……..7.000 Cement……………………………………………………………………..………….17,000 Roofing material (corrugated metal)………………………………......…………14,000 Builder payment……………………………………………………..………………20,000
Total for school,building ..................................................................................78,000 Rand 11,011 U.S. Dollars / 12,652 Canadian Dollars / 8,359 EUROS
2. Truck: The cost for a used vehicle is estimated at between 70,000 and 100,000 Rand 9,437 to 13,484 U.S. Dollars / 10,564 to 15,092Canadian Dollars / 7,416 to 10,594 EURO
3. Students and Teachers: School benches and tables (there will be seven classes and each class will have ten benches, seating three students each)……………………………............…21,000 Rand School supplies and lunches (two years)………………………………… 120,000 Teacher’s salaries 5 teachers: 1 Headmistress, 2 qualified teachers, 2 experienced teachers without diplomas Pay scale: Monthly wage for first 3 months/thereafter Headmistress: R800/R1800, Teachers: R500/R1500, Assistants: R300/R900. 1 volunteer who will be hired with pay for 2008 school year. Total teachers’ salaries for 24 months (after 3 months) – R 158,400 Total: student and teacher expenses - 299,400 Rand 41,845 U.S. Dollars / 49,038 Canadian Dollars / 32,178 EURO
4. Additional Housing (2 dormitories) Building material…………………………………..…………………..…….12,000 Rand Roofing material……………………………………………………………….7,000 Stones………………………………………………..………………………….4,000 Cement………………………………………………..…………………………7,700 Builder……………………………………………..…………………………….8,500 Total (for two houses) ; 39,200 Rand 5,534 U.S.Dollars / 6,358 Canadian Dollars / 4,197 EUROS We are pleased to be working with the International Humanities Center, a non-profit umbrella organization for many worthwhile social and envrionmental projects. They have made it easy for us, and for those from the United States, to contribute to the Ha Makhata School. =============================================== HOW TO CONTRIBUTE : To contribute to this project, you can donate online here If you require a Canadian tax receipt, please contact us at info@solidsaltspring.com, or at (250) 537- 0863. ============================================ For a U.S. Tax receipt:
SOLID is a program of International Humanities Center, a nonprofit organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the IRS Code. CHECKS AND MONEY ORDERS If you would prefer to send a check or money order, please make it out to the IHC and note somewhere on the check that it is for the Ha Makhata school. Checks or money orders should be sent to: INTERNATIONAL HUMANITIES CENTER For any other countries, please contact us. If you have questions, or wish to receive updates on this and other African projects, please contatct us at info@solidsaltspring.com or (250) 537- 0863. We are grateful for your support.
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