Leribe
Nestled in a far reaches of Leribe, Vuka Mosotho Primary School, easily translated “Wake up, Mosotho”, is a picturesque area surrounded by abundant water sources. The school, situated in the heart of the community, is an institution that carries the hopes and dreams of its 300 students.
Unfortunately, lack of proper infrastructure and sanitation facilities has led to a host of problems that threaten the health and education of the children.
Inadequate classrooms, no toilets along with poor sanitation have resulted in illnesses such as diarrhoea and eye conditions causing many children to miss classes.
These conditions have also contributed to a high number of dropouts from the school, hindering the community’s ability to break free from the cycle of poverty.
In response to the ongoing health crisis at primary school, World Vision Lesotho (WVL), through its ECHO project funded by the European Union, collaborated with the Disaster Management Authority (DMA) to address the issue.
This resulted in a heart-warming show of support, as businesses from across the region pledged their assistance at a ceremony held at the school on Tuesday.
The health officer of the nearby health care centre revealed that she had already attended to approximately 60 students from the school, highlighting the pressing need for intervention.
At the event, WVL demonstrated its commitment to the community by pledging a significant amount of supplies and facilities to Vuka Mosotho Primary School, these included four heating stoves, 30 windows, 50 bags of cement, 100 student desks and two teacher desks.
In a true spirit of philanthropy, giant micro lending company LESANA Financial Services contributed 40 bags of cement while Mahlakapese Lodge pledged facilities worth M10 000, Aloes Guest House contributing M10 000 and the Ministry of Agriculture’s Department of Forestry offered trees and nutritional education.
As a community member and former student, Thuso ‘Moso shared heartfelt sentiments on behalf of the parents, underlying the impact the school has had on their lives. He said this while reminiscing his memories as a student when the school was founded in 1982, he revealed that it had only one building whose roof was blown away by the wind, of which current students are still using.
With a tinge of melancholy, he shared that he was currently experiencing vision problems, which he attributed to overexposure to direct sunlight during his time at Vuka Mosotho Primary.
He indicated that the donation is a great investment to the school, as it has a lot of students, with great potential.
The Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Education and Training, Ratšiu Majara, also thanked the sponsors for their generous support. “As a Ministry, our goal is to provide quality education to all children, however, we are aware of restricting conditions that negatively impact children’s performance,” he said.
The Minister also highlighted the issue of climate change which seems to affect children’s health due to extreme conditions that often result to undesirable corollaries.
World Vision explains that, to effectively carry out its humanitarian mission, it has developed a collaborative strategy with the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), aiming to nurture relationships, strengthen WV’s global and European humanitarian capabilities, and enhance the quality and quantity of ECHO grants.
The ECHO Partnerships Specialist will play a crucial role in supporting the optimal functioning of the WV EU Representation (EUREP), specifically contributing to achieving the WV-ECHO Strategy. It is with the ECHO that it was able to reach out to Vuka Mosotho Primary, as part of the fourth, which is the last phase of the initiative.
