Long Journey to Bethel, and Many Meetings in Maseru
Sesotho word of the day: Donga - a rift worn in the earth by water or wind erosion.
After arriving in Johannesburg, SA on Saturday, we lived out the African equivalent of planes, trains, and automobiles, to finally arrive at Bethel, Lesotho, almost 24 hours after landing. The most interesting part was maneuvering all of our almost 600 lbs of luggage down a very steep and rocky embankment to wait amongst about 30 Basotho (people of Lesotho) for the small tin boat to ferry us across a river. Needless to say, we were the topic of conversation at the river bank, but eventually we loaded ourselves and our luggage into this boat, all but sank it, and arrived at the Bethel Business and Community Development Center (BBCDC) shortly thereafter.
Bethel is a quiet little village nestled amongst the hills that make up the transition from the foothills to the Maluti Mountains. The village has a mission, a clinic, a highschool, several huts, and a few small provision shops. The villagers mostly subsist on farming and herding.
What is most impressive about Bethel and the entire country of Lesotho is its clearly visible erosion problems, manifested in the many dongas that seem to crack the land wide open. Peering into the donga to behold the powerful force that created such a severe fissure, you find that it is meerly a tiny trickle of water. That means that during the rainy season, the rivers run much higher, and erode the land away each season. It also means that during the dry season, the wind alone is enough to continue the erosion of the land. I had seen pictures of dongas before coming here, and was anticipating their presence, indicating the erosion problem present in the country, but i could not believe how many dongas propigate in all directions, almost anywhere you look! Pictures of dongas to come.
After 1 day in Bethel, we took a journey to the capital, Maseru to hold several meeting with various stake holders. Our agenda was as follows:
Wednesday: Formal contract signing with the World Bank at the UN House
Thursday: Initial meeting with our partners, Appropriate Technology Services (ATS) and Bethel Business and Community Development Center (BBCDC)
Friday: Open meeting to inform government agencies, interested parties, and the general public about our plans.
All meetings went very well, and we have established wonderful contacts and have received valuable feedback.
All in all a very successful week.
We have been received very well here in Lesotho, and this week of planning has made the team very excited to get to work! But first, we go to Durban, SA to pick up our vehicle.
Sesotho word of the day: Donga - a rift worn in the earth by water or wind erosion.
After arriving in Johannesburg, SA on Saturday, we lived out the African equivalent of planes, trains, and automobiles, to finally arrive at Bethel, Lesotho, almost 24 hours after landing. The most interesting part was maneuvering all of our almost 600 lbs of luggage down a very steep and rocky embankment to wait amongst about 30 Basotho (people of Lesotho) for the small tin boat to ferry us across a river. Needless to say, we were the topic of conversation at the river bank, but eventually we loaded ourselves and our luggage into this boat, all but sank it, and arrived at the Bethel Business and Community Development Center (BBCDC) shortly thereafter.
Bethel is a quiet little village nestled amongst the hills that make up the transition from the foothills to the Maluti Mountains. The village has a mission, a clinic, a highschool, several huts, and a few small provision shops. The villagers mostly subsist on farming and herding.
What is most impressive about Bethel and the entire country of Lesotho is its clearly visible erosion problems, manifested in the many dongas that seem to crack the land wide open. Peering into the donga to behold the powerful force that created such a severe fissure, you find that it is meerly a tiny trickle of water. That means that during the rainy season, the rivers run much higher, and erode the land away each season. It also means that during the dry season, the wind alone is enough to continue the erosion of the land. I had seen pictures of dongas before coming here, and was anticipating their presence, indicating the erosion problem present in the country, but i could not believe how many dongas propigate in all directions, almost anywhere you look! Pictures of dongas to come.
After 1 day in Bethel, we took a journey to the capital, Maseru to hold several meeting with various stake holders. Our agenda was as follows:
Wednesday: Formal contract signing with the World Bank at the UN House
Thursday: Initial meeting with our partners, Appropriate Technology Services (ATS) and Bethel Business and Community Development Center (BBCDC)
Friday: Open meeting to inform government agencies, interested parties, and the general public about our plans.
All meetings went very well, and we have established wonderful contacts and have received valuable feedback.
All in all a very successful week.
We have been received very well here in Lesotho, and this week of planning has made the team very excited to get to work! But first, we go to Durban, SA to pick up our vehicle.
posted by Libby Wayman at 6:34 AM
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