Blog Action Day: Breadline Africa and Lesotho Feeding Scheme.

Today is Blog Action Day around the world and the theme this year is food… what about food… well really anything about food.

I am proud to take part in Blog Action Day Oct 16, 2011 www.blogactionday.org

Since we are blogging all about our recent trip to Lesotho I thought I would write about the food folk eat in Lesotho, and I realized that I wouldn’t have very much to write. Food in Lesotho is scarce… People in Lesotho are materially poor and food resources are hard to obtain.
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The wealth of Lesotho lies in the potential of their children, their wonderful children. In a country with such a high percentage of orphans food is scarce. Many of the children who aren’t orphans have parents that work in South Africa, which leaves them stranded in a parentless limbo. Adults are few and far between and the ones that were there were working so hard to raise these children. In the village that we stayed in, most homes had a small vegetable patch, with a very small crop. The mountains villages are rocky and the weather is extreme, which isn’t great for growing crops. The young man who we stayed with for the week appeared to survive on a plate of pap, which is a maize porridge and some scrambled eggs every other day. The local orphans just do not have the resources to feed themselves. An example of a typical household consists of a twelve year old boy, a se7en year old girl and a four year old boy.
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In the village that we stayed in the church is doing their best, with the help of Breadline Africa, to feed their orphans. They cook a meal for the local children each evening of the week. For most of these children that is their only meal of the day and they do not provide meals on weekends.

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So at dusk on weekdays a crowd of children arrive and queue up at the communal kitchen door.
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While they were waiting for the supper we were able to chat with them and spend time with them.

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Once they have their plate of food they head for the rocky outcrop – no matter what the weather and trust me it can be cold, and the first few nights we were there were really wet.
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They eat their daily fair together…
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Wash their dishes…
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And while we were their they stayed to chat and play games with our kids until it was dark, when they headed for home.
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It is a hard existence for little people and yet they are a joyful bunch of kids, not demanding, not imposing, just beautiful kids with heaps of potential that need to be fed.
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You may not be able to help feed the children in a small mountain village in Lesotho tonight but you might want to visit their supporters: Breadline Africa and see what projects they are involved in. And if you have some free time then why don’t you play the rice game and help to feed a hungry person right now.
Play Freerice and feed the hungry

My kids will be playing the rice game this week for school, it’s fun and it is a practical way that they can help feed a hungry person in the world.

9 Replies to “Blog Action Day: Breadline Africa and Lesotho Feeding Scheme.”

  1. Certainly a reminder for us to be very generous, extremely thankful, and to stop complaining!

  2. Hay Aunty Muffin, Great comment!!! I think it is our attitude to what we have that really makes the difference. Really we have nothing to grumble about at all!!!

  3. wow, my heart is so moved for those precious little ones. its so humbling to see their joy! thanks for sharing this. love, Karyn

  4. I’m not able to read this post without tears. I so appreciate your honesty in sharing this… it hurts my heart so deeply to see and think about the pain of these precious, precious children. What strikes me the most is their SPIRIT and SMILES that shine EVEN in their circumstances. What a lesson they are teaching!!!! While I so often take for granted the sure luxury of a healthy meal, these kids cope with the unthinkable. I agree with your comment above… I NEVER EVER have reason to grumble!!

  5. Hi Karyn, Thank you for stopping by. It was indeed a very humbling experience, people keep asking if we achieved what we set out to achieve and I have to say, with relief, it just wasn’t about us at all – It was all about how we could build relationships with these children and connect with them. I held more little hands than ever, I played with more little people than ever… And I learnt so much from them, they are old long before their time and yet the child in their heart just has to spill out!!! And spill it does in the most delightful way!!! Hope you have a great week!!!

  6. Hi KM, The imbalance in our world is a mad, mad thing and I am so glad we got to experience it first hand. Yet we were so loved and so welcome and they were obviously so thrilled to have us there and the fact that they have so little was just never an issue. They don’t feel that they lack anything… they are loved and cherished and they was not a grumbling heart to be seen anywhere – ever. I know we worry about our kids nutrition – are they getting their five fruits/vegis a day… I week in Lesotho will put our ideas of what our kids really need so into perspective!!!

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