Action Lesotho Book Shop
Tralee Shopping Centre,
off Bridge Street,
Tralee,
Co. Kerry,
Ireland

Opening times: 10am - 5.45pm Monday to Saturday

The shop is staffed by enthusiastic volunteers and all stock is donated to us. We welcome new volunteers in the shop (minimum 2 hours per week). Please contact Carmel Russell on 087 2460516.

WATERVILLE FRIENDS OF LESOTHO
Waterville Friends of Lesotho (WFOL) undertake their own fundraising and support specified Action Lesotho projects in Lesotho. These are:

• MORATE ENGLISH MEDIUM HIGH SCHOOL

• SETSOTO DESIGN TAPESTRY PROJECT

• HA NYENYE WOMEN'S CRAFT WORKERS

WFOL raised money to build and equip a new block of vocational classrooms in Morate English Medium High School, Kolonyama and as a result Home Economics and Woodwork are now offered on the curriculum.

The group also support Setsoto Designs Limited and have an ongoing Tapestry Project. The money raised from this project goes directly back into Action Lesotho projects in Lesotho. To view information on this project please click on the following link http://www.techamergin.com/tapestryauction.html or www.setsotodesign.com

WFOL are currently raising funds to assist the Ha Nyenye Women's Craft Workers build a small enterprise centre.

Contact: Fiona de Buis on +353 (0) 87 2931463 or Pippa Kearon on +353 (0) 87 9931403 actionlesothopippa@gmail.com

BANTRY FRIENDS OF LESOTHO
Bantry Friends of Lesotho is a thriving community action group currently supporting the development of a community development centre in the village of Ha Maqele. The community centre was completed in October 2009 and a feeding programme for 100 HIV/AIDS orphans operates from the building at weekends and throughout the school holidays. Apart from providing food, the centre also provides a place for the children to meet and play and just be children.

If you would like to help make sure these children receive the food and care they require on an ongoing basis you might be interested in setting up a standing order. At the moment a number of businesses and individuals in Bantry have already done this are contributing between €5 and €20 a month. This money goes towards feeding the children and providing them with school uniforms and school books. A number of other very successful fundraisers have been run throughout the community and private donations have also been made.

To help support the feeding program in Lesotho you can set up a standing order through your bank or make a donation to Bantry Friends of Lesotho in Bank of Ireland, account number 60426687. All money raised goes directly towards the feeding program. Any amount, however small, goes a long way in Lesotho: 40% of people there survive on less than €1 a day. Contact: Colleen O'Kane, The Craft Shop, 11 Glengarriff Road, Bantry, 086-3437414 or e-mail her at intd@hotmail.com

The building team who went out to Lesotho in September/October2009 consisted of Bantry people Colleen O'Kane, Martin O'Kane, Martin Whooley, Aidan 'boney' O'Donoghue, Guy Dalton, Clare Heardman and four block-layers from Tralee.

SCHOOLS LINKING PROJECT
Action Lesotho supports school linking projects by encouraging schools to visit Action Lesotho projects in Lesotho.  One school which has been associated with Action Lesotho for several years is Pobalscoil Chorca Dhuibhne (PCD), Dingle. The school has been linked with Morate English Medium High School (MEMHS), Kolonyama since 2006; through this cultural exchange students and teachers have the opportunity to develop friendships through mutual learning, collaboration on project work and appreciation of cultural diversity. As a result of the linking experience students have been enabled to form an understanding of their interdependent relationships within a global context.

Since the beginning of the project teachers from both schools and PCD students have engaged in exchange visits. Pobalscoil Chorca Dhuibhne hosted a visit of three MEMHS students with their teacher in April 2010 and the Dingle students are looking forward to a trip to Lesotho in April 2011..

A short DVD 'A Vital Link' which explores the shared experience of both student groups was made during during a visit to MEMHS, Lesotho in April '09.

This project has the kind support of Worldwise / Irish Aid and is coordinated by Brenda Friel, a former Board Member of Action Lesotho.

BREAKING THE BARRIERS
This exhibition documented the lives of ten different people in Lesotho with disabilities. Funded by Irish Aid, this exhibition toured universities and colleges in Ireland. For further information, and to view the stunning photos in the exhibition, please click on the following link: http://www.eileenoleary.com/docs/Breaking_The_Barriers_Article.pdf