Providing Lesotho's Children with Keys to the World

This is the story of our efforts to end the vicious cycle of poverty, disease, inadequate education, and early death
in a remote rural community in Lesotho, Africa, by providing quality education and life skills
to the young children there. Join us on our journey ...

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Mapesh promoted

Mapesh has been promoted to principal at a different primary school in Ketane. Fortunately for us, one stipulation of his promotion was that he would continue to work with Our Treasure Highland Computer Project and the computer school.

Congratulations Mapesh! And we're glad you're staying with our project.

- Janissa

Web-conferencing option

We discussed using web-conferencing software to communicate in real time, which would be handy for group discussions especially discussing issues in more detail than is possible in emails. It would also be handy for planning discussions and for training. HOWEVER, we decided that the internet service in Ketane and Idaho is probably too slow to be able to use web-conferencing. Connections with Skype might be an acceptible alternative.

- Janissa

Fundraising: Friends of Lesotho funding application submitted

Today, I submitted an application for funding from Friends of Lesotho. Several of the FOL board members have expressed support for our project, so let's hope that support will translate into real money.

The FOL Donation Committee should meet tomorrow. If they like the application, they will recommend it to the full board, which meets next month.

- Janissa

Communications - Ketane internet, email & phone

Mapesh has been back in touch using the clinic internet connection. Janissa sent a new USB 3G modem to Ketane, but no word yet on whether they got it or whether it works with their existing SIM card.

Aaron and Mapesh have agreed to spend time teaching Matlabe and other teachers how to use email so we can all keep in touch better.

Andrew has been calling Ketane periodically to talk to Matlabe and Mapesh in person.

- Janissa

I.T. News - Shaun explores the XO laptops

In late March, Shaun received the two XO laptops Janissa sent him and has been playing around with them, figuring out how to reload the operating system (so all the XOs are identical when we distribute them and so we can fix some of software problems that may arise), learning how best to hook them up to the internet, and tearing them apart and putting them back together to learn how to make hardware repairs.

Go Shaun! I just hope you can explain all that to the rest of us non-I.T. types.

- Janissa

BIG NEWS: Funding from FIPE

Andrew has been working with FIPE (Foundation for International Professional Exchange). Thanks to Andrew's hard work, they have donated $1500 to put toward the purchase of XO laptops. They have also agreed to provide an exchange for one of our team members to travel to Colorado to meet American teachers and observe their classroom teaching. Andrew is still hammering out the details for the exchange.

A HUGE THANK YOU to the FOLKS at FIPE!

- Janissa

BIG NEWS: We have our official 501(c)(3) nonprofit status

BIG NEWS:

We received our official IRS 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status last week, so ...
  • We can now accept donations as tax-deductible contributions.

  • I can start applying for grants from foundations that require 501(c)(3) status to apply.

  • We can now register with online charity lists and donation websites.

  • We are eligible to purchase discounted merchandise from some organizations.


- Janissa

Oops! Time flies ...

I'm sorry I haven't posted anything since late February. A lot has happened in the meantime, and I've been so swamped I haven't been diligent about keeping up with the blog. Big News postings to follow ...

- Janissa