July 2006

Dear Friends and Loved Ones,

It’s nearing the end of July, the coldest month of the year here in Lesotho and, yes, it has been very cold at times. There’s been many an early morning when I opened my curtains to see a thick frost covering the grass. Outside, my breath hangs like thin ice suspended in air. But fortunately our days are mostly dry and sunny, a relief from the sting of cold the hours of darkness bring.

My work involvement with Joining Hands (JH) has me feeling like a primary student again as so much is new. With my years in South Africa I thought I was a step ahead in coming to Lesotho (lesutu). But the country and its people, the Basotho, have their own unique history, cultural heritage, customs, traditions, dress, language, government and infrastructure and, though being land-locked within South Africa’s borders, they maintain their uniqueness.

Los Ranchos visitation

A recent high point for our office was the visit by six representatives from our partner churches in the Los Angeles/Orange County areas, who joined us for nearly two weeks at the end of April. The underlying purpose was to expose them to a variety of situations in order to see and experience differing aspects of life in Lesotho and, in so doing, reveal some of the influences, both internal and external, that create and perpetuate the high level of poverty experienced by the Basotho. From there we would look to areas of common interest to promote learning, advocacy and solidarity between us.

As a small nation, slightly smaller in size than Maryland with a population of just over two million, actions by neighboring countries or international agreements can have dramatic repercussions here. Impacted negatively in recent years by a prior international agreement, Lesotho has now effectively used the Africa Growth Opportunity Act (AGOA) to become Southern Africa’s largest supplier of textiles to the U.S. This industry continues to regain lost ground and now employs nearly 48,000 people, nearing its earlier status of 50,000. You can help support this local growth by purchasing Levi’s and jeans from GAP—just in time for school! Spread the word!

Community gatherings

Our JH members in two districts had been eagerly preparing for visitations by our U.S. friends, and what we found was quite unexpected! As we came to Mafeteng, southeast of Maseru, we were met by a small pick-up full of people carrying a banner welcoming us. They then escorted us to the local government official’s office to be officially welcomed. With that as our intro, we knew we were in for some surprises.

As we drove outside of town to a more rural village, we could see tents raised, young children coming from a nearby school, and men and women walking from homes scattered in the distance. Women cooking, stirring large iron pots, waved as others greeted us with “Lumelang” (du-may-long). Over the next four or so hours we were entertained by groups of children, youth, and adults performing their traditional dances accompanied by music on hand-made instruments. We wandered amidst displays of crafts and produce from local gardens, tasted locally prepared foods, and had a plentiful meal before gathering again to plant two small trees, commemorating our visit and signifying the JH partnership between the Basotho and the U.S. church. As we left we knew we’d been greatly honored to be part of this community celebration.

A special gift

One of the absolute highlights of that day for me was something I had never seen “performed” before, something rarely even spoken of to “outsiders.” That was the entry and interactive dance by a group of five teenage girls, accompanied by an adult woman, “enacting” part of an initiation process. What distinguished them was that their entire bodies were covered in clay/mud and their demeanor was one of humble submission.

In more traditional times, this initiation process was a sort of “rite of passage” from girlhood to womanhood. Girls—and boys in a separate process—would be taken aside and taught the traditional ways and expectations of being a woman. It was a good thing—a time of preparation then “promotion” to adulthood. Certainly such ceremonies can—and have been—misdirected and abused in some places, but when done with the right intent in the very traditional cultures where male and female roles are very clearly defined, one can understand how such rites of passage bring continuity, clarity, and order in such close, survival based communities. What a gift it was to witness in person!

HIV/AIDS focus

As some of you may know, before coming to Lesotho my more recent involvements in South Africa were in the area of HIV/AIDS. In Lesotho, of the initial top five areas of focus identified by our JH members relating to key contributors to poverty, HIV/AIDS was acknowledged as number two, just under Food Insecurity. With one of the highest infection rates in the world, estimated anywhere between 23% and 36%, and life expectancy now 34.4 years, one can see what a challenge we face.

A recent quote by Bono, a voice of challenge to world leaders as he champions for the majority worldwide who live in varying degrees of poverty, is stuck above my desk as it speaks clearly of Lesotho and other countries caught in this spiral: “Debt, AIDS, and Trade—an unholy trinity.” Our goal as JH is to be part of changing that.

With blessings,

Cindy

The 2006 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 339