Lesotho and South Africa
We have undertaken three life-changing visits so far to South Africa and Lesotho, which have focused very much on building our relationship with the Malealea community in Lesotho. The visit is run in collaboration with a not-for-profit organisation called Connecting Communities Worldwide (CCW).
The bi-annual visit is 18 days long and begins with a brief stop in Cape Town to explore places such as: Table Mountain, Robben Island and the penguin colony on Boulders Beach.
Then at the heart of the visit, is the time spent in Lesotho helping and learning about the Malealea community. This could be digging trenches for irrigation, planting tree saplings, etc.
What an experience. I never expected to do something like this and I’m so glad I did. We met such beautiful and kind people. For a community that has so little, they were welcoming and showed such kindness and warmth in the time that we were with them. I was very sad when we left them. I feel a great sense of joy knowing that I have made a small difference to their lives. I am determined to do something like this again in my life whether I go back to Lesotho or help somewhere else. The rewards are immense.
Isabella – L6 student
I really enjoyed working closely with the community that we were helping. Because the children were on their school holidays they had a chance to come and meet us and even work alongside us. I thoroughly enjoyed promoting the Wonderbag to the women who a small group of us shadowed for a section of the day, this helped us to understand what it truly is like to live and work in Lesotho as a woman.
It was a great experience to visit different locations in Cape Town such as Table Mountain, Robben Island and the District Six museum. Loved the visit!
Annabelle – L6 student
Students spend a significant amount of time prior to the visit raising funds for the community to purchase tools, Wonderbags (for improved cooking facilities), tree saplings and much more.
Working so closely with the community really gave me a sense of their way of life. Community is so important to people in Lesotho and they welcomed us into theirs. Interacting with girls from a school in one of the communities was a highlight for me as we were able to talk and laugh even though we’re from other sides of the world. We were able to see how difficult it is for people in Lesotho to get basic supplies such as food and water; something we take for granted in Britain. I learnt about how precious water is which motivated me to try as save as much water as possible at home. Overall, the whole visit put my life in perspective to how many things we take for granted and taught me so much I would have never learnt at school. I am very thankful to be given this opportunity.
Meia – L6 student