new arrival

It's lunchtime at TTL and I poked my head into the safehome to find only two babies sitting on the mat ready for lunch. Everyone else was curled up fast asleep, including our newest arrival: Lebohang.

Lebohang is 6 weeks old and his parent's first child. His mother has just passed away due to complications during childbirth that were most likely negatively impacted by her positive HIV status. As his chubby cheeks show, Lebohang's current health is pretty good compared to most of the children who come to the safehome. However, the misdiagnosis of his mother's HIV status during pregnancy means that Lebohang was exposed to HIV. Doctors at the  hospital thought it would be best for Lebohang to come to TTL so that he can receive all the care he needs while his family deals with the loss of his mother. This will also allow us to test Lebohang's HIV status so that a proper care plan can be identified as early as possible.

treading the forgotten sky

Touching Tiny Lives is very grateful to Theresa Adams and everyone working for, and supporting, Treading the Forgotten Sky.

Theresa embarked on an amazing journey across Lesotho to raise funds and awareness about the HIV/AIDS epidemic that impacts every corner of this small, beautiful nation.

From all the families we work with and TTL staff, thank you so much including us in this amazing project. Treading the Forgotten Sky's generous donation will have a significant impact on TTL's efforts to mitigate the effects of HIV/AIDS on Lesotho's children.

Some of TTL's babies also wanted to say thanks! All these children are part of TTL's Outreach program and will benefit from the amazing efforts and generosity of Theresa and all those involved with Treading the Forgotten Sky.

 

october 1st

Saturday, October 1^st marked the International Day of Older People. While sometimes it feels like there are so many days of ‘international recognition’, this one is pretty poignant for TTL and its clients. Like so many countries deeply impacted by the HIV epidemic, grandparents in Lesotho are raising their children’s children.

I spent Saturday with TTL’s Outreach team, driving to a village about 3 hours outside of Mokhotlong to visit a ‘grandmother-headed household’. Tlotlo had been referred to us through TTL’s village health worker network. Tlotlo's mother passed away a few weeks after her birth, leaving Tlotlo and 4 siblings to be cared for by their 71 year old grandmother. At just 1 month old, and with so many children in the house, the outreach staff was concerned about the family's ability to access and purchase formula to feed Tlotlo. After talking with the grandmother, it was decided that it would be best for Tlotlo to come and stay at the safehome for awhile where he can have access to all the food and support he needs during this period of critical early growth.

Tlotlo is now at TTL, bringing the number of babies in the safehome up to 7 – twice as many as we had only a week ago.