Food Crisis Christmas Appeal

This year has been incredibly difficult for our 330 clients in Mokhotlong and Thaba Tseka. Failed harvests and a late rainy season have left them in dire need of seeds, bumper food packages & access to medical care. We are currently overwhelmed by the number of people needing our help and our resources cannot be stretched to cover them all. Please, give the gift of life this Christmas by sending us a small donation which will go directly towards buying more maize meal, seeds and protein-rich food for our clients. 

On August 30th 2014, the General Lieutenant of the army led a military coup against the Prime Minister of Lesotho. Ongoing problems (contained to the political elite) have devastated the productivity and efficiency of local services. The Department of Agriculture, Food Security and Public Health have crumbled in the highlands, leaving NGOs like TTL to pick up the slack. Without the Departments' help to cultivate land (the use of combine harvesters, tractors, ploughs etc) people have been unable to harvest crops this season. We are doing everything we can to help our clients access food, whilst taking on new clients daily. Therefore, your gift will go directly to feeding a child not only at Christmas but until the next harvest season. 

Please help us to continue to save lives, one child at a time.

Thank you, bless you and Merry Christmas.

Rea leboha Gem Diamonds!

TTL's MD with District Education Secretary,
CEO of Gem Diamonds, Director of Sentebale,
District Administrator, Prince Seeiso,
UNICEF Representative &Minister of Health, 

On November 12th, Touching Tiny Lives and our partners Sentebale hosted a fantastic event at the Mokhotlong Hotel to show our combined appreciation for a generous donation by Gem Diamonds. We were very honoured to have the pleasure of hosting Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, Dr Pinkie Manamolela- Minister of Health, Ms Mazvi Maharasoa- CEO of Gem Diamonds, Mr Motsamai Mokoto- Mokhotlong District Administrator, Representatives from the Ministry of Education, Health Officials from Mokhotlong Hospital, The Child Protection Officer of the Lesotho Police Headquarters and group of honoured guests from Sentebale at the event.

Minister of Health and Prince Seeiso listening to
TTL's MD explain what we do at TTL

Dr Pinkie learns about our
ECD and nutrition schedules

The food crisis in Lesotho continues to reach unprecedented heights, causing many of our clients to suffer gravely from late harvests and lack of food. But Gem Diamonds' donation has brought hope to Mokhotlong and Thaba-Tseka. With their help, TTL has added extra maize meal to our Outreach food packages and provided the necessary health care to help the children and families through this tough time. Outreach has also been able to to launch our 'Needs for Seeds' initiative, distributing packages of cabbage, carrots, spinach and squash seeds to each TTL client family. Along with providing some direction on how best to use the land available for a garden, our Outreach staff will collaborate with the Lesotho District Ministry of Agriculture in Mokhotlong to make sure families are receiving information on proper planting techniques.  

Prince Seeiso captivates the audience

TTL was thrilled to have our guests visit our campus in Mokhotlong camp town in order to see the many ways in which the generous donation from Gem Diamonds will help local children and families. A tour of the Safe Home and some play time with the kids was a highlight of the day. 

Minister of Health meets the children
and Bo'm'e of the Safe Home

We want to express our gratitude to Gem Diamonds for assisting us to help save lives, one child at a time.

Planting seeds for change

Tanki gets into the gardening spirit!

Responding to the chronic food shortage, TTL focuses on preventing and improving childhood malnutrition rates in the Mokhotlong and Thaba- Tseka districts of Lesotho. Many rural families face the ongoing risk of food insecurity given that many people do not have access to agricultural land and those that do may not have the necessary equipment and seeds. Situations like this have resulted in a stunting rate of children under-5 of almost 40% in Lesotho according to the World Food Programme.

The TTL Outreach Program has been providing children under-5 with food packages on a monthly basis consisting of, amongst a variety of other items, canned vegetables. We are always looking for ways to improve our services, and we strive to support our families in achieving food security and self-sustaining food sources -  plus we want to spread the word about how good vegetables are for a child's balanced diet! So we are excited to introduce our newest project - Needs for Seeds!

At the start of the Spring season this September, TTL Outreach staff began distributing packages of cabbage, carrots, spinach, and squash seeds to each TTL client family. Along with providing some direction on how best to use the land available for a garden, our Outreach staff will collaborate with the Lesotho District Ministry of Agriculture in Mokhotlong to make sure families are receiving  information on proper planting techniques.

We are looking forward to watching the children grow along with the new family gardens!

Happy UN Day 2014

Today marks the 69th anniversary of the United Nations, an organisation founded on the very principals of peace and prosperity. UNICEF, a programme of the U.N devised which provides long-term humanitarian and developmental assistance to children and mothers in developing countries, has long been a partner with Touching Tiny Lives. So, we would like to take they time to show our thanks and appreciation for all they have done for us over the years. 

Cheers to the next 69 years!! 

United Nations' International Day of Rural Women

A Basotho grandmother brings her little one for a check up with TTL.

Every year, the UN invites us to celebrate the word-wide unsung heroes by celebrating International Day of Rural Women on October 15th.

This is a day to mark the important work done by rural women in the areas of agriculture and rural development by improving food security and eradicating rural poverty.

TTL works in the most rural and under-served areas of Lesotho. The women (or Bo'M'e) of Lesotho are truly the backbone of the country. At TTL, we witness Bo'M'e work tirelessly to provide for their children, grandchildren, families, and neighbors. Whether it's trekking over mountain terrain to get their children to a clinic, collecting wood, tending the garden, or cooking for the family, the Bo'M'e in rural Lesotho never cease to amaze us.

Bo'M'e are our biggest partners at TTL and today we say a huge REA LEBOHA for everything you do!

Local Bo'M'e making the journey with their children to one of the rural health clinics.