The Return to Lesotho. Blog 11: The Final Count Down

So just over a year after I touched down in Lesotho, I’m getting ready to return, this time supported by the Dolen Cymru Link. I’m going back to work at the two main orphanages I worked at last time, Saint Angela’s and Phelisanong, and the last few months have been spent trying to source appropriate equipment to help the children. At times this has proved to be a challenging operation, due to cost and finding equipment that is suitable and will survive the rigours of Africa.

Finding affordable posterior paediatric walking frames and off road wheels has been particularly testing. One frame has had to have its wheel’s purpose made (thank you AJ and JT), while the other one still had its wheels in a German warehouse last week. Meanwhile I have accumulated 9 pairs of special supportive paediatric boots (thank you Ellen), crutches, sticks, assorted toys, books, hand hygiene and cleaning materials, UV torches, gel and powder, punch bags, a floor mat, blenders, a Lecky corner seat, special cutlery and cups, for the children with swallowing difficulties, and a tool kit to maintain equipment and build anything else I need.

The purchase of equipment has been supported by generous donations from Machynlleth and Tywyn Rotary Clubs, as well as private individuals (thank you Tilde, Elaine, Lesley, John and Di, Martin and Angela). To help with carriage I am flying with Veronica German, the head of Dolen Cymru, and have a large part of her luggage allowance, giving me a total of 5 loads of maximum 23kg each bag. Every kg is precious and I have had to think very carefully about what I am taking and unfortunately turn down some kind offers of donated equipment. It was all coming together reasonably well, until I spoke to Justice on a What’s App call on Tuesday morning.

Justice is on the board of Saint Angela’s and my main contact there, and informed me that the water had been cut off at the orphanage due to a huge unpaid water bill, caused by leaking pipes. Now they are relying on roof water collected in water butts, and using one small kettle to boil drinking water for over 30 disabled children. Justice asked if I could bring some water purification tablets with me.

After putting the phone down, and going slightly dizzy trying to calculate how many water purification I would need to take, I decided to look at water filtration units and do some research to fill in the vast gap in my knowledge on this subject. I spent the rest of the day trying to find something that was robust, would remove harmful bacteria and produce enough water. The stainless-steel gravity filter I thought would be suitable cost £200 and a spare set of four filters £133.

The company I was dealing with were not very helpful, or easy to contact, and by Wednesday I had lost patience with them, despite their offer of donating 2 spare filters. I got home from work and searched for another company. At 5 pm(not usually a great time to talk to business people), I found myself taking to the very helpful Mark of Osmio water, who told me they had a charitable fund and to drop him an email. I did and when I checked my emails the following morning Mark had replied to say they would be donating two gravity filtration units and eight spare filters, which would arrive the next day.

As promised, everything was duly delivered on Friday. A massive thank you to Osmio water indeed. The filters should provide clean drinking water for the children for well over a year. The only down side is I have lost one entire load to the water filtration kit and packing has become even more complicated. I now have 16 ceramic filters, which look like nuclear warheads, and I'm wondering how much bubble wrap they need to stop them exploding. 

Friends have lent me bags for packing, but none are large enough for the frames and walkers, so I have now decided to order a bike bag to carry them,  and hope Amazon will deliver in time. Then all I have to do is pack everything safely, get it to the airport (thank you AJ for offering to take me), RV with Veronica at Heathrow on Thursday afternoon, get the equipment on to the plane and sit back and enjoy the flight. Can’t wait to see all the kids again…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MM0IkI9kPM

See you in Lesotho J   

Jan