Report from Lesotho

Duncan and I had a fascinating trip to Lesotho at the start of this month. I was there for a week, with Duncan staying a few days longer. Robyn and Palesa have settled in really well and both seem to be enjoying life back in Lesotho. They have a good network of friends and a busy life. They also have a 14 year old girl, Nthuseng currently living with them.

We spent most of our time visiting orphanages and other organisations working with street children in Lesotho to try and help Robyn finalise her plans for her work and also to help her form links with other organisations and individuals working with street children in Lesotho. Robyn is currently volunteering with some existing organisations who work with orphans and street children and has also built up good relationships with a number of street boys. Her hope is to establish a centre for the boys, with a view to re-integrating them back with their wider families where this is possible.

Robyn is living in Maseru, the capital of Lesotho, which has a population of over 200,000. It is right on the border with South Africa so there is a big South African influence. As in much of southern Africa, AIDS is a real problem, and the main reason why children end up on the streets (when they lose their parents). As Leostho is a mountainous country and fairly far South, winters can be very cold and hard for children living on the streets.

Whilst we were in Maseru for most of our time, we did spend a night in a remoter area with friends of Robyn who are working for YWAM on an agricultural project which gave us a great opportunity to see some more of the country and to experience life without the mod-cons available in Maseru.

Duncan and I hope to share a bit more of our experiences at the Impact Cafe in March. In the meantime please pray for Robyn and Palesa that God will keep them safe and bless them. Please pray for Robyn as she looks to establish her work and secure a suitable property for a centre. Please also pray for the street children and orphans that Robyn works with that she will be able to bring God's blessing to them. Give thanks too for safety for both Duncan and myself travelling and pray for Duncan's safety as he returns home from Tanzania this week.

I'm a bit restricted in what photos I feel able to put on the blog but I have a lot more on Flickr (click here - you'll need a Flickr or Yahoo account to see them).

Rod MacLean