About the New Centre

The Graff Leadership Centre was donated to Help Lesotho and the people of Lesotho by Lawrence Graff, of  London England. He and the King of Lesotho attended the Grand Opening one year ago. The concept and the building are extraordinarily ambitious. The building is almost finished, one year overtime, and is unlike anything in the area, or perhaps the country. Using new materials such as vinyl siding inside and out, it is not traditional in any way, a fact that makes founder Peg Herbert a little uncomfortable, as does the size. “When it is full of people and activities, it will come alive.We are on the way to filling it up, having had 36 teenagers move in there to start school this week.Eventually we will have meetings, Grandmother Days, sports and events for out- of -school youth there.

Becoming guardians and mothers for several dozen represents a huge responsibility for Thusa Lesotho. The staff on the ground are 3 house mothers and an office full of related and concerned staff. Different staff administer the Grandmother, Education and Sponsored Children Programs. There are offices for all in the smaller Support Building beside the Leadership Centre. Peg Herbert is in the business of developing youth, talent and leadership. She often say it’s not as easy to attract people to this program stream as it is to children and Grandmother Programs. Interesting…..



Lucy helping with creative writing



The two years already invested in these girls leading up to the big day of arrival at what must seem like boarding school has identified them as good scholars and potential leaders. Their mothers or relatives were glowing with pride as they left them there with luggage and wash basins last weekend. Their grasp of English and superior academic level became evident to me when I watched Lucy VanOldenbaarneveld of CBC Ottawa give the girls a seminar on creative writing. The girls were participating and enthusiastic about the concepts she was teaching, such as the benefit of journaling. On the weekend, they created chaos in the shower room with water every where. A plan must be put into place to control all this….many of these kids have never had access to a shower or gone up stairs. Back to the washing clothes outside !

The biggest challenge is to keep them real. It will be perception in the community that they are entitled and there may be a backlash against them. They have to keep learning and using all their important traditional skills such as cooking and doing their share of cleaning as well as their own laundry. To proceed in any other way would be a disaster early on. Hopefully we can also introduce a few new non-gender based skills such carpentry as well, practicing what we preach. But how great to see them outside on Friday night playing hopscotch , singing and dancing on the new cement game pad. The Centre is truly coming alive.

Next, all those shower rods and clothes hooks to put up- and where to find the shower curtains ? Another trip across the border to South Africa I guess for the never ending and difficult-to-find supplies. The end, however, is in sight.