Work of The Trust

 

Through the Bana Trust (registered charity no. SC039997), we aim to set up and run a crisis care centre for some of the street boys who are living in out in Maseru, the capital city of Lesotho.

Newsletter November 2009

newsletter october 2009

 More September News 2009

newsletter september 2009

newsletter june 2009

newsletter may 2009

newsletter april 2009

newsletter feb

 18th February 2010

Schools in Lesotho go back today after the long summer break, and students move up a grade if they passed last year.   I remember this time very well from last year, and not with favourable thoughts!

Anyway, our three boys are now enrolled in school, along with Tsebang and the uniform is bought.  Sound easy.  Not so! 

We arrived at the school this morning to enrol our two new boys.  There is no facility to do this before now – at this school, students can only be enrolled on the first day of term…  AFTER the staff meeting…  and assembly…  and an interview with the grade teacher (the rest of the class are waiting patiently inside whilst the teacher enrols pupils at the door).

So – safely enrolled – off for the uniform.  There is even a shop called “The Uniform Shop” which suggests it might be easy to buy uniform.  Not so…

Large queue coming from uniform shop – it is the first day of school after all, and people do not buy uniform until they are sure their charge has been admitted and enrolled at the school.  Queues in Africa are not really the same as in Scotland.  Here, there seems to be a drive to make the queue look shorter by squelching it up together so that queuers form one gelled mass.  I was there.  For ages.  After some time, some big bin bags started arriving and being dumped on the counter.  About ten of these bags were placed there, and then the one server behind the counter started opening them and putting the stock on the shelf.  The queue was growing – it is the busiest day of the year after all – so I made the assumption that she was serving someone and looking for a jumper or a tie for them from one of the bags.  Not so…

She was unpacking them – all of them! – while the queue grew and grew.  I am Scottish, not African, and I simply could stand there no longer.  I started moaning to Samuel, who said something to the lady in front of us, the lady behind us and then the lady behind the counterr.  Then quickly, we left.  The queue stood on.  Last time I saw, it was out the door, down the stairs, round the corner, onto the street, along the road, across the border, and is currently reaching Bloemfontein.

 Fortunately, I know a secret.  I know where the warehouse is where the uniform is stored to supply “The Uniform Shop”.  And I have a car…

Uniform now bought, and boys ready for school tomorrow.  Except one – who was stabbed on his way home, in a dispute with a group of boys (let’s not call them a gang) that started when he lived on the street.  

Sometimes feel I am working out of my comfort zone.  Sometimes?  Who am I kidding! 

Will update on wellbeing of the boy when I know more.  Please pray. 

 13th January 2010

I visited the unit today.  All is going well there, and it is lovely every time to see the boys clean and living in a healthier environment than the one I met them in.  It is a real privilege and I thank God for the opportunity to be part of it.

The garden is coming on fine, and although a heavy hail storm last week bruised the leaves on the potatoes they seem to be OK under the ground.  We are going to put up some shade cloth to protect the vegetables from the strong sun and the heavy hail that we get here.  After our first experimental crops, we have decided that potatoes really love the sandy soil here and so we will do a second planting with several beds of them.  I read somewhere that, because of the altitude and climate, Lesotho is perfect for tattie growing and disease is rare.  We can grow enough to eat and sell the rest.

We also plan to have a small bed of tomatoes and one of beans, and give up on the spinach and carrots, neither of  which grew well at all.

I then went to spend some time talking with the boys on the street.  As our unit becomes established, I find myself with the time to look at what to do next.  The best way to determine what the boys need is to ask them, so today we had a “meeting” sitting on the grass in the town centre.  I now need time to think about what they said and work through their responses and comments, before we plan which direction is appropriate to take next.

9th January 2010

It has been a difficult time of year for the boys in the unit.  All three boys went home to spend some time with their families.  For one of the boys, this worked really well and some bridges have been built.  He spent two weeks at home and is now back with us and looking forward to going back to school.  For one of the other boys, it did not work so well and he returned to the street.    In retrospect, the visit home was probably too soon for this boy.  He is now back with us in the unit, and Samuel is helping him through this.

For boys who have lived on the street, it is very difficult to adjust to life in a home environment.  These boys have had complete freedom to come and go and to do as they liked, and are now having to adjust to living within boundaries and getting over addictions that they have developed.  They know that it is for their best, and that is why they persevere, but it is not easy for them and there is always the risk that they will return to the street.  The seemingly endless school holidays don’t help either, as the boys get bored and the excitement of the street beckons them.  Next year, we must think of some exciting projects to interest and occupy them.  Any ideas or help with this would be greatly appreciated!

 

As we start the New Year, we have three boys in the unit and are preparing a fourth.  Please pray for these boys, that they take the chance they are being given and that we gain the wisdom to lead them both in and to Christ as well as towards a successful and contributing manhood.

 16th December 2009

We are leaving this weekend on a family break for a couple of weeks, to meet my brother and his family who are coming from Scotland to visit.

I leave the unit in the capable hands of Samuel. 

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all,

With love

Robyn

9th December 2009

Part of the work we do with the boys living in the unit is liaise with their next of kin, and try to rebuild relationships which may have broken down.  It is true that in some cases, the boys can never return to the support of their families, but this week both boys who have been living in the unit for a couple of months went home to stay with their next of kin for a short period.  Both boys were keen to go home and both will return to the unit by the end of the week. 

6th December

Part of what we do is support the families of boys who are living at home in order to help the boys to stay there and keep them from returning to the street.

I am trying to link the families to a local church which does a food run, but this is moving in African time, so in the meantime we take food to three families to help them a little.

Many of the families are headed by a single adult, normally not a parent but a grandparent or an aunt, and there are often several children living there.  In one of the houses we visit, there are six children living including one boy who used to live on the street.

 

 

At one of the houses, I helped to mix the “cement” for plastering an inside walls – it is made of soil and dung, but does the same job as bought cement.

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2nd December 2009

The picture says a thousand words about Sam’s relationship with the boys. 

And through this relationship with Samuel, the boys are developing a relationship with Jesus and slowly learning to trust again.  They pray together two or three times a day, and have daily Bible studies. 

Today I took them a Bible each in sesotho, the local language so that they are not reliant on Sam translating it for them from English.  

Please pray for their growth in this area so that they might, in the future, become mighty and Godly men of  Lesotho.

1st December 2009

All is going well with the work we are doing.  I am endeavouring to create the unit so that it is micro managed by locals and macro managed by me, and this is coming on nicely.  It means that my role is in meeting with the staff, guiding them and training them so that they have the capability to provide within the budget, and I am very happy with how this is progressing.

The term is coming to an end, and the two boys who are attending school have both been sitting exams.  Considering that they have only been in school for three months of the year or less, they are doing very well.  One of them was chosen to do the Bible reading at the school assembly – I like to think of God smiling down on him and how he has changed his life around in so short a time.  Four months ago, he was living on the street, sniffing glue and dirty, and today he is passing at school and standing up in front of everyone and reading from God’s word.  Something so great can only happen by and in God, and I thank you for your continued prayers for the boys.  It is only by grace…

18th November

Today I met with Metseing, who is volunteering to help with the work we are doing.  Talking with him was a real blessing –  from spending some time with the boys in our unit, he is so commited to and enthused by the work we are doing.  To have a local guy so keen to get involved in what we are doing is fantastic, and indicates a real possibility of nurturing and planning for sustainability in our project. 

Both Metseing and Samuel now live at the unit and are leading the boys in Bible study and teaching them how to love Jesus and that God loves them. 

Today’s meeting left me very excited.

17th November

We now have three boys living in the unit – on Friday, Thabelo moved in.  So far, he is doing well.  School breaks up here for the summer any time now, so he will start attending from next year.

Our potatoes are growing really well, much better than the rest of the vegetables we planted.  I think it is worth considering only planting potatoes in the three trench beds and then sellling them.  Tomorrow I hope to get some tomato seedlings so that we can try out the wicking bed (the irrigation experiment we are doing).

 

1oth November

Spent morning talking with boys on the street.  It was very productive, and on Thursday we will make a visit to one of the boys’ family with a view to him moving in.

 Lent Sam my car (the blue one, which I still have not sold).  He has crashed it twice in the space of ten days.  Fortunately, he has a friend who is a panel beater and you can hardly see where the damage has been.   That is the end of that arrangement, I think!  Please pray that someone wants to buy it quickly!

A quick question – should anyone know!  Does a shower and changing of clothes get rid of body lice (not mine or either of my girls, I am glad to say!!).   Or does one need a “product” from the chemist?

 

6th November 2009

The boys are doing really well in the unit, and this week are sitting end of year exams to see if they can progress into the next class next year.   We are hopeful that they will do well.

We are planning for another boy to join them either next week or the week after, and we also have had a man ask to volunteer to work with us.  This is great news – if local people buy what we are doing, it has a much greater standing in the community and a much greater chance of sustainability. 

The relief house father is struggling to make a relationship with the boys and I think may become more handy man and gardener as we go on.  We pray that through our influence and through seeing God at work in the lives of the boys, he will become closer himself to God.

 

20th October 2oo9

We now have three boys in the unit, two who sleep there and one who comes during the day.  After all the work we have done with Tsebang’s mother, he is finally living at home.  I think the fact that he can come to the unit during the day linked to the fact that a team that were visiting fixed the door on his house so that it is now windtight and safe have led to this.  It is great news.

In the October holiday, Samuel organised a fun day for the boys.  The aim of this was to maintain relationships with the boys in the unit and the boys still living in the street, as well as to have a bit of fun.

For pictures of this, please click on this link – Fun Day with the Boys oct 2009

3rd September 2009

Unfortunately, Pana has left the unit and returned to the street.  There  is always the possibility that this will happen with any of the boys that we help, and we continue to pray for him and his future.

Tankiso is doing really well and thriving in the environment of the unit.

Matsebang has been diagnosed with incurable tuberculosis, and has been advised that her diet should include eggs and milk.  To help with this, and to give her a little extra income, we provided her with twenty laying pullets and some feed to get going.

 

 

 

 

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26th August 2009

We are back from our break to Scotland and Samuel worked tirelessly when we were away, meaning that on Friday, our first boys moved in to the unit!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yesterday, we took the boys shopping to get school uniforms.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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9th July 2009

We have been very busy here, getting the house ready so that we can start immediately I return from my break in August.  Samuel has moved in and is making the house a home in readiness for the arrival of the boys, and yesterday a friend from New Zealand called Webster put the final touches in terms of security by welding a shooter onto the door.

Thankyou to Heather for allowing Webster to come and help me. 

The house is now ready and I leave on my break with a sense of relief that we are as prepared as we can be.

18th June 2009

Work is coming on very nicely and I have been spending no end of time considering the pacing of what we are doing.  Samuel has been drafting house rules, and I have been preparing to prepare the boys for the move. 

When we started working with the boys, there where five boys under fifteen sleeping on the street.  Since then, two have gone home (one through direct intervention of the Bana Trust), one can go home due to the work we have done with his mother in strengthening her both physically and economically (unfortunately he is choosing not to), and two will move into our residential accomodation in the middle of August.

I am now starting to look at the fifteen year olds, and when I come back after August will carry out some assessments with them.

9th June 2009

On Saturday, we took the boys to make blankets for the winter in association with Youth for Christ, who had received rolls of fleecy blanket material in a consignment.   The boys all tied blankets, and each boy got one to take away with him.

 

A group of the youth from Maseru United Church turned up to help, which was great as the cutting and tying took ages.

 

 

 

Most of all, I think the boys just enjoyed the opportunity to be boys and they enjoyed playing on the grass as much as anything else.

 

 

 

6th June 2009

This is Samuel, our newly appointed House Father.  Samuel is a 23 year old mosotho who has worked with the street boys in the past and knows them.  He has recently finished a DTS with YWAM and is passionate about helping youth.  He officially starts work at the beginning of next month.

 

5th June 2009

The Hutchisons have arrived!  They are helping to paint and decorate the property. 

 Stephen forgot to bring his shorts for painting, so dressed in a traditional basotho post circumcision outfit.

 

 

 

 Ingrid did not want to get paint on her shoes, so covered her feet using Shoprite bags.

 

 

 

 

 

27th May 2009

Update on Progress this Month

• I held interviews yesterday for the position of house father.  We are blessed to have three strong candidates and I pray I make the right decision.
• Yesterday, as I drove past Matsebang’s house, I was delighted to see two customers in her garden buying winter greens from her.  The smile on her face was worth every bump on the road!
• The other day I was walking in the markets, and I heard a voice calling “‘M’e Mapalesa!” (that’s me!).  I was delighted to see the young street boy that I had taken to MIS trying on a new pair of shoes with his mother!  The work that we had done with the family had instigated them into contacting mum, who came home from Johannesburg to find her boy.  A success story! 
• Work on the house is coming on steadily.  I am avoiding taking things too quickly as this is the first time I have undertaken such DIY.  I am learning a lot!  And I am having a lot of fun too.  The door is finally finished and I am quite pleased with the result. 
• After 345 test drives, I have agreed to buy the vehicle and as soon as the money transfers are sorted can start driving it.  Excited!
• I now await the visit of the Hutchisons with excitement.  Someone to do DIY with!!!

A neat, well kept ’99 model Nissan bakkie petrol engine six cylinders with canopy, for those of you who are interested in that type of thing. White and won’t scrape underneath on the roads for those of you like me!

 

  Back with his mum!

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22nd May 2009

Prayer is very much needed for the following –

1.   Finding a house father.  I believe we might have found  a brilliant person who has worked with the boys before and is on fire for God.  Please pray for him, for the other two candidates and for wisdom for me.

2.   I am looking for a new vehicle and think I might have found one.  Please pray that if it is not the right one for me, that God does not allow me to have it.  I need one that is reliable and that will go!

Thanks.

Robyn

13th May 2009

We have been cleaning up the property, starting with the back room.  This involved ripping out the old lino, redoing the floor, washing and sanding the walls and repainting.

 

Luckily I had some help in the form of three very hard working men.

 

 

 

 

… and one not so hard working lady!

The property has electricity, running water and even an inside tap!  I am delighted with how the back room looks now that we have cleaned it up, and am looking forward to starting on the front room next week.

Robyn

8th May 2009

Things are looking so much better are the house of Matsebang.  The garden is coming on very well, and she has prepared more plots for planting.  There is a life around the place that was missing four months ago.

  

  

  6th May 2009

I can’t believe it is May already.  The wee boy that we took to MIS is still there, settling in well and going to school.  We have bought him school uniform, and he is really proud of it.

On the first of May, we took possession of the key for our house in Motimposo.

 April 20th 2009

 

Last week, I took an eleven year old boy to MIS for a place to sleep.  I visited him there today. 

He is a changed lad – he is clean, and was helping one of the older boys tend to the cows.  Tomorrow he will go to school.   I will continue to work with him and reassess his situation once our place is ready.  In the meantime, he is safe, has food in his tummy and is warm at night.

Praise God.

 April 19th 2009           Our Property

We have located a property in the village of Motimpos of the edge of town, which will be suitable for four to six boys initially.  The property requires a little work, but nothing too much I think.

 

 

There is a room attached to the property which we intend to use as a second bedroom, but which has a wee problem with the door and lintel.  I am taking a builder there this week to get his opinion and a quote for the work.

 

April 13th 2009                    Easter Braai

 On Good Friday, we held an Easter barbeque to which all of the street boys were invited.

It was lovely to see them enjoying themselves, playing football and basketball like any other lad, even for a moment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

April 1st 2009

During March, we have been working on the following –

• Building a team of key players to work with here in Lesotho, starting with finding a translator with a heart for the boys   
• Meeting the remaining families of the target boys under 15 where possible
• Making links with organisations that offer counselling for OVCs.
• Locating a suitable property to rent
• Networking with  other Christian organisations in Maseru gathering information on their vision and their mission statements

The exciting news is that I think we may have found a property.  We are still at the initial stages of negotiating but are very hopeful.

Please pray for the house father!  Finding the right person for this role is absolutely key to its success.

We have formed links with almost all of the parents or guardians of our target group of boys, and will continue to work with them on planning the best support for the boys.

We also have found counselling for the boys.  This has not yet started.

Robyn

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March 28th 2009

 

Went again to visit Matsebang yesterday.  I had left her on Monday with the job of preparing her garden for planting so that we could buy her some young plants and seeds so that she can make a small living from selling vegetables.

 

 

 

 

Was I surprised!  A whole section of the garden has been turned over in four days, and she has found another piece of land which is also nearly ready for sowing.  She has plans to build a wee shack to sell from at the side of the garden.  I am really thrilled for Matsebang and her family – they are preparing themselves so that, with our help to set up, they will have a small business to support the whole family.

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Robyn

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March 16th 2009                 MORE GOOD NEWS

One wee boy left home in October.  You may remember him, David and Ruth, as the boy who had the infection on the cut on his leg and was limping badly.

On Wednesday, he returned home to his parents. 

His parents, who live some distance from Maseru, were unaware that he was living on the streets – they thought he was staying in a centre somewhere here.

Another success story!

 

March 14th 2009

Yesterday I went to visit Matsebang, Tsebang’s mother who had been very sick with a large infected absess in her stomach.  Without treatment, she would have died.

I was delighted to find her so much better – she jumped from bed to show me how she could move around and how much she was healing.

I am going next week to speak with her about how we can assist her in finding work so that Tsebang can move back home.

Good news indeed!

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February 2009

During February, we have been concentrating on the following –

• drafting an action plan in response to the survey (see below)
• completing follow up assessments with boys of fourteen years and under
• beginning house visits to families of the boys
• buying uniforms so children can attend school
• working with local people to find a key person to work with in translating and advising on local protocol and local systems
• helping and tending to a sick family member
• providing emergency food to one of the boy’s mothers
• providing fruit, bread and cheese to the boys on the streets

We have identified three boys under fourteen who, with support from the Bana Trust, may be able to return home and two boys under fourteen who would be ideal candidates for short term residential care and counselling.   These, it is hoped, will be our target boys initially.

It has been an exciting month, and using local workers to help with translating and discourse has made a big difference.

Robyn

February 2009

During a recent cold snaps, some of the wee children at Ntate Vincent’s were very glad of the jumpers knitted for them by Bernie of Hilton Church in Inverness.

 

 

 

Every Thursday afternoon I go to Ntate Vincent’s with a friend to play with the children.  There are 37 children of all ages living in two shacks.

Don’t they look dashing in their new jumpers!

 

Robyn

 

 

 

February 2009

Following a survey of the boys, and much deliberation and prayer, the work of the trust has been categorised into action strategies based on the needs and responses of the boys living on the streets.

The trust will categorise need into four action strategies. 

 

Action Strategies

 

1.  No intervention recommended

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2.  Immediate and proactive one-off short term relief

Support recommended to prevent starvation, death or serious ill health or the need for residential care in the future. 

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3.  Short Term Residential Provision

Short term residential care and counselling recommended, followed by linking into a network care system to support the boy in living with his family

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4.  Long term residential provision

Long term residential provision recommended in some form – either foster care or artificial cell family

  

 

 

January 2009

So far , most time has been spent building relationships with the boys. 

During this month we have concentrated on providing emergency relief in the following:

• Providing regular food and fruit for homeless boys to combat malnutrition
• Accessing medical care for two boys who needed it
• Enroling five boys in local schools
• Enroling one boy in boarding school
• Enroling one girl in boarding school
• Providing food until Easter for three boys who are attending vocational college in the mountains
• Providing footballs and a volleyball to give the street boys something to do during the day
• Working with the Child Protection Unit, referring three boys for family assessment

Much time has also been spent in reflection and in discussion about the Crisis Care Centre and a plan is being drafted in response to the needs highlighted from the survey. 

Robyn