Cleft Palate Conundrum

Two year old Seeiso waddled into our lives in November 2014 with severe malnutrition and an untreated cleft palate. At 7 months old a doctor visited his local clinic and identified the cleft palate and recorded it in his health book. However, the condition was not explained to the clinic staff and, as they did not know what it meant, it was ignored.

We found Seeiso whilst on Outreach and, at -3SD below median, we immediately admitted him to the Safe Home. Outreach staff reported that he was regurgitating food through his nostrils. We ran a full assessment on Seeiso and reviewed his health book, which is when we saw the doctor's comment about the cleft palate. TTL Safe Home Supervisor, 'M'e Lehela, got right on the case and reported his condition to Queen Elizabeth II Hospital and scheduled a surgery. It is now March and finally the time has come for his surgery. Seeiso has stayed with us at TTL Safe Home since October and we have monitored his health, nutrition and development very closely. He is now a healthy young boy, ready to withstand the wear and tear of surgery. We picked up Seeiso's mother from her home in Thaba Tseka and she stayed with us on campus over the weekend, rekindling her relationship with her son after almost 5 months apart. We then transported both mother and son to Maseru for the operation yesterday. We have arranged accommodation and return transportation for Friday when both mother and son will return to their home village.

We hope this will be a life changing surgery for little Seeiso and we will continue to monitor his recovery and development as we go.

Flash flood devastates TTL Campus

It is true that things can change in an instant. Out of nowhere yesterday afternoon, the TTL campus in Mokhotlong was hit hard by an intense storm that produced golfball-size hail, massive winds and rain, and floods. The quiet creek running alongside campus turned into a raging river taking trees and everything else in its path. Heavy rains, lightning and thunder carried on for over an hour and a half. Flood waters poured into campus, uprooting and devastating all of our crops. Braving the elements to run to a different building resulted in navigating knee-high currents moving not just mud but rocks, bones, crops, and garbage.  Literally all we could do was watch as Mother Nature went rogue.  

We were all very fortunate to be safe and despite the fact the flood waters reached such a height that they flooded the Safe Home, we were able to get the babies to safety. After looking around campus in the daylight, we realised the depth of the damage done by the storm. TTL staff, Fellows, and visitors all came together with spades, rakes, and wheelbarrows to relocate our pathways and walks. It took over 6 hours for the job to be complete, with many more days of work on campus left to do. Most upsetting is our beautiful garden, which has been completely washed away by the rain. The garden that provided fresh food for the children in the Safe Home has now disappeared and won't be salvageable before the fall arrives. 

 

We are thinking about all of our community clients and partners now as they too struggle to cope with the aftermath of the storm. Food security is a chronic issue here in Lesotho, and TTL has attempted to lessen the burden by providing our client families with seed packages for their own sustainable gardens. We realise with heavy hearts that like our garden on campus, the gardens of many families in and around Mokhotlong will have washed away. Now more than ever, the work of TTL is essential for those who are most vulnerable. 

PLEASE, if you can, please help our clients to get back on their feet and see them through until the next harvest. Donate here if you are from North America, and here if you are from the rest of the world, so that TTL can buy canned vegetables and meat to see them through this incredibly devastating and difficult time. 

Thank you. 

Mokhotlong gears up for national election

Mokhotlong Camp Town was buzzing with energy and excitement this weekend, as supporters from 4 Mokhotlong districts flooded our small town for a political rally. The normally quiet village was transformed into a sea of colours, vehicles, dancing, singing, and camaraderie. It was a such a pleasure to see Basotho from a variety of districts unite for a common purpose.

The national election is coming up on 28 February 2015, 2 years ahead of schedule as a result of the political instability in Lesotho in September 2014. The call for early elections aims to bring stability to the current government system and give Basotho people the opportunity to have their voices heard through the power of democratic voting. While political tension is running high, it is inspiring to see the amount of people who are committed to peaceful elections. The spirit and pride of local people makes us at TTL proud to be part of such a strong community.

What a valuable Alliance..

Today we have welcomed the wonderful team from Alliance Insurance. Alliance has supported TTL for a number of years and 2014 was no different!
 

Their brilliant CSR team organised a charity football tournament (soccer) in December 2014 and all proceeds have been donated to TTL. Today we are hosting a Cheque Presentation Ceremony on TTL campus, to extend our huge, heartfelt thanks for their selfless and innovative generosity.

Thank you Alliance!!

TTL is back online!! New website!

Watch out world, TTL is back online and looking better than ever! 

The creative genius, Mr Angel Escamilla, has designed a visually spectacular, wonderful and  interactive new website for TTL and we could not be happier with his work! Check out this brilliant new website here!

The stunning new front page

In October 2014, creative genius Angel Escamilla walked through our doors and offered to redesign TTL's website. We could not believe our luck! We are so geographically isolated from the world, we heavily rely on our online portals to connect with people like your good selves. Therefore, the offer of a brand new and smart redesign for our website was very much appreciated!

There's even an interactive map of where we work!

The end result could not be better. We never imagined that our website could look so brilliant! It offers brand new interactive features, such as: online donations, interactive maps of where we work, a brand new video gallery, a meet the staff page and interactive updates of our social media! We are so excited to share it with you. So, without further ado, we invite you to check out our brand new website on: www.ttl-lesotho.org!

The new website now allows you to make automatic transfers to
TTL's bank account!