AMBASSADOR'S VISITS REVEAL REMOTE AREAS BENEFIT FROM USG

UNCLAS MASERU 000631 SIPDIS SIPDIS FOR AF/S MUNCY; ALSO PASS TO USAID - DR. MOTEN E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAID KHIV SCUL KDEM LT SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR'S VISITS REVEAL REMOTE AREAS BENEFIT FROM USG PROGRAMS ¶1. SUMMARY. On November 28, Ambassador June Carter Perry and post's Special Projects team visited the District of Mokhotlong to review three Special Self-Help (SSH) Fund projects and to meet with Ambassador's Girls' Scholarship Program (AGSP) recipients there. This visible outreach to an isolated area of the country reinforced positive views of American development assistance here. END SUMMARY. ¶2. As part of Embassy Maseru's active Special Projects program, the Ambassador and Special Projects team (Coordinator Kathleen Norman and Assistant Malipholo Sepitla) paid a visit to several past and ongoing projects in this extremely remote and mountainous area of northeast Lesotho (6 hours from Maseru). During a courtesy call on the District Administrator, the Ambassador pledged ongoing U.S. support for outreach development projects in Mokhotlong, the USG commitment to the education of young women there and our resolve to help those involved in HIV/AIDS projects. At this and her other stops along the way, the Ambassador stressed the importance of registering to vote and taking part in the upcoming elections as a way to strengthen democracy, and to empower civil society and youth participation in national growth and goals. ¶3. The team next visited the Senkoase High School, where 2004 SSH grant money was used to purchase solar panels and hot water heaters for the girls' dormitory which houses 200 students. The panels provide electricity for lighting the school to aid in nighttime studies, and hot water during the long, cold winters in the mountains. The Senkoase Primary School children performed traditional hymns for the American visitors, and the Ambassador encouraged all the students to persevere in their academic work. She especially congratulated seven recipients of scholarships through the Ambassador's Girls' Scholarship Program, and provided each with a gift of clothing donated by Embassy personnel and private Americans. Ambassador Perry also distributed U.S. Embassy tokens of appreciation to school administrators. There was also a review of Embassy books recently donated and monitored by a Peace Corps Volunteer as part of the USG's national loan library program across Lesotho. ¶4. The following stop was at "Touching Tiny Lives." This is a shelter to support HIV-affected orphans, with an outreach program to assist extended families that care for OVC in training in nutrition, hygiene and general health support. The project is run by a local director and two former Peace Corps Volunteers, and the Embassy grant has provided office furniture which allows the organization to function as a professional NGO, and securing basic items for the children and families so devastated by the scourge of HIV/AIDS in their district. Ambassador Perry congratulated the members of the project and the caregivers on their good work, and encouraged them in this critical line of defense against the spread of HIV/AIDS emphasizing the ABC model. ¶5. The final SSH project visited was Senate House (formerly supported by Peace Corps Volunteers),where funds to obtain a phone line, office equipment, furniture and educational materials were provided in FY2005. The Center at Senate House runs a shelter for abused and battered women and provides health outreach initiatives and a wellness program for vulnerable women and children in the district. ¶6. COMMENT: Embassy Maseru is committed to strengthening and expanding its development outreach projects to the most remote and therefore often neediest regions of Lesotho. The Ambassador's visit to Mokhotlong was a successful example of how this is being accomplished. END COMMENT. MURPHY PERRY