After living here for two years I stopped seeing how
unbelievably beautiful it is. Although
the scenery does not make life any easier for the people in the living in these
rural villages. But it certainly does
add to the heart of the place.
After I left Lesotho my host organization, Maliba Lodge burned
down from an electrical fire. And now I
am back during the rebuilding of Maliba.
I am staying in the newly completed conference center and the main lodge
is really taking form and looks like it will be even grander than the
original.
The fire was very hard on the staff, many of whom were involved
in its original construction. More than just
new buildings, I am amazed at how far the staff have come since I left. Everyone have reached a high level of professionalism
that you don’t typically find in Lesotho.
And everyone has learned how to use a computer! I attribute these changes to their hard work
and really good management, which appears to have focused on capacity building
rather than merely running the lodge. In
Peace Corps our focus is on capacity building, so people are empowered after we
leave, and the transformations I see in the staff here would put any Peace Corps
volunteer to shame.
I also was here in time to attend a going away party for one
of the staff members. There was mountains
of grilled food and drinks, but more remarkably the party was a mix of Basotho
and South African staff, socializing as equals, something that never happened
in my day. It was wonderful to see, I am
so proud of my Maliba and her staff.
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