Lesotho

Hello, today was an eventful day at the habitat site. The house we are building looks fantastic! Today we added the windows and began plastering the interior walls. I was a part of the plastering crew. We made cement. Mind you, making cement in Lesotho is much different than making cement in the states. You have to mix it with shovels and be sure to follow the number one rule: "don't break the seal" Once we were done mixing the cement, we filled wheelbarrows with it and took them into the house to start plastering. Plastering was difficult at first, but by the end, one of the Habitat for Humanity workers told me I was doing a good job. Thankfully, I had a lot of helpful people in my crew. We collaborated with Basotho college student volunteers for the week. I got to know some of them during our projects, and today my new friend Relebohile was helping me learn Sesotho. During language lessons we got our Sesotho names. Sesotho names often times have a meaning behind them. My Sesotho name is Khanaya which means light. I am enjoying my time in Lesotho. I love the mountains and the welcoming culture. shoutout to my fam, whom I miss very much.

- Em Bradley

Hiii! Today was a really fun day at the paint site. Every morning, we walk to the site and our friends are waiting for us. My friend's name is Sunshine and she always walks me to and from the village. All of the people here are so welcoming and accepting, they always smile and say Lumela (or hi). Today we were painting a mural of the village and the mountains. We are also painting all of the animals you see here (they are really cute). Others have been working on the rest of the preschool by painting a number chart, the alphabet with pictures, and how to say the colors in English and Sesotho. It has been so awesome seeing all of us come together to create such beautiful creations. Everyone is good at something, we all have places where our talents show. The paint site is looking so beautiful in and out and I cannot wait for all of you to see the finished products of our hard work! Also today I got my name in Sesotho which is Bonolo. Which means soft/sweet!

~ Mikalyn Piccola

I Had Run Aways...this means chicken feet!

Today I had the most incredible opportunity to go to the Ramabanta Care Clinic with the peace corps worker Jeremy. At the clinic today we were registering pregnant mothers for their care appointments. When walking up to the care clinic it was nothing I would have expected. It was multiple mix-matched houses surrounded by a big  fence. When walking in expecting mothers would get both TB and COVID tested, and then proceed to the expecting mother's room. While registering the mothers we took their weight, MAUC, blood pressure, and labs. The women would also receive educational talks about breast feeding, nutrition, and GBV. The women were then able to pick up Iron, Absorbic Acids, and Calcium for mothers prophylaxis. When any labs or ultrasounds need to be done the mothers need to be taken to Maseru which is about an hour away by car. This means they wont get the results for multiple days. When at the clinic I was then also able to see the pharmacy as well as their medical supplies room. After seeing the facilities, supplies, and equipment I realized how incredibly different this was from hospitals back in the states. The nurses and clinicians at the clinic had to be so resourceful in the equipment and supplies they had.  This makes me think twice about all the luxuries we have back in the states with healthcare. For lunch then Jeremy and I got lunch. We had fried rice, fat cakes, and chicken feet. And let me tell you the chicken feet weren't as bad as you would think.

Don't worry Mom and Dad I am still getting all my runs in and let me tell you the views are amazing!  Love and miss you all especially Nova.

- Mackenzie Kelley '26