Lesotho Adventures :: Experience Lesotho like you've never expierienced it before.

For more information about how you can help, please contact us directly.
LESOTHO OVERLAND TOURS

PO Box 738
Msunduzi
3201

info@lesothoadventures.com

Cell: +27(0)74 158 0754

Imagine getting up on a dark mountain morning in your village hut. It's warm in here, but the whistling wind outside hints of the coldness to come. Dressed in the few warm clothes you have, you clutch your little brother's hand in yours, and set off across the field, the frosty dawn chilly,
the gusty wind tearing at your clothes as you walk for the next hour along the rugged mountain paths
to get to school. You think of the day ahead, your little school building and the hundred children you call your classmates. All crammed into the small, basic classroom; all sharing an insatiable desire to learn.
You are late this morning and probably won't be able to see the chalk board from behind the many other pupils as a result, but it doesn't matter, you can hear the determined voice of
your dedicated teacher as everyone tries their best to write down what she is saying. You're thankful for the small scrap of paper you managed (cont.)
to borrow from your friend who still had a few pages left in his thin Government Issue book. But you take comfort in the fact that you are not different, you are like the hundreds of other young Basotho children all over the country who everyday
continue to struggle to learn and improve, but are hampered by the lack of facilities.

We offer hope ...
The Reach One, Teach One campaign is a new project established to facilitate and improve education in the areas that Lesotho Overland Tours operates in. We have adopted a local village, where the Senqu tour visits, as the focal point for the
start of the campaign.
We see education as the most important aspect of improving and developing an area. It is to this end that we are trying to improve the local primary school. We aim to start small and build big, or as the local Basotho's say; a 'small stream grows into a big river, giving life to everywhere that it flows'. The school is set on top of
a beautiful valley that
overlooks the Maluti Mountains in the distance. Tourists and visitors to the area always express interest in the welfare of the local villagers and particularly the children. Visits to the school and trying your hand at a little teaching are always a popular activity and interacting with these eager children can
often serve as a highlight to any trip. It is very humbling to see young children
having to cope in such difficult conditions compared to those from more prosperous countries. Lack of school books, stationery and proper facilities are unfortunately common place. Most children walk far distances and have to face many cold mornings or evenings (cont.)
of walking in unpredictable mountain conditions to reach the school. Broken windows from the wind are common, making classrooms
both cold in the winter as well as very dark, as boards are used to fill gaps where glass used to be. Small classrooms with many students are also a problem as overcrowding is a challenge to successful teaching. Many younger
children have to study outside in the wind. No electricity or running water makes the challenges even greater. Yet there is a willingness to learn and with the few dedicated
teachers available they get encouraging results.
How to help make a difference.
Even though you live quite literally in a different world, you can still reach out and help
teach a child and give them a future. If one child is empowered then they are able to reach out to those around them and help them too. It may be to family, friends and in time, their own children. The campaign
therefore begins to snowball and can have tremendous potential to grow and help communities and individuals throughout Lesotho.It is an exciting
initiative that starts with small steps before making bigger strides.

The initial goal for the campaign each year is to provide enough stationery and study material for the learners as well as the teachers and educators. Longer term projects
include the building of a library, a new classroom or helping capable children further their education
by getting a high school or even a tertiary education. It costs R 1000 or roughly only Ł80 to send a child to high school for a year. There are many ways to help the campaign. Monetary donations are desperately needed to aid the longer term projects. Click on the PayPal or
AlertPay link to make a donation.
If you are unable to contribute a donation, you can still help by donating stationery or learning material or even becoming actively involved in a project. If every tourist who came on a tour brought one book for the library, can you imagine the potential? Track and follow the progress of the campaign on our
blog.
Another important aspect of the Reach One, Teach One campaign is the Adopt a School concept where local schools are able to help raise extra school material or stationery for these rural village schools. Already many schools in KZN have helped donate school material and expertise to the village school. Books, pencils, crayons, paper, chalk and learning aids
have been
constantly donated and transported to the school. This participation is greatly appreciated and forms the backbone of the project.

The Reach One, Teach One campaign is advantageous to everyone and is mutually beneficial. Not only can tourists assist to help educate local villagers, but they themselves can be educated.
When embarking on any tour guests are able to interact with the
locals and learn about a different way of life and culture. Storytellers around the campfire at night will tell tourists about life in these mountains. Local crafts made by the village women can give insight to their lifestyle and beliefs. Village walks show how crops are harvested, how beer is brewed,
how homes are built and most importantly, how people live and interact. This interaction shows

For more information about how you can help, please contact us directly.

We offer hope ...

How to help make a difference.