What a lot of fun we had at this year’s Lesotho International Volunteer Day celebrations! We had dancers, singers, puppetry, face-painting, tree-planting, speeches by volunteers and dignitaries, distribution of ePap, a nutritious food supplement, refreshments, HIV/AIDS counseling and testing, seed-donation and planting of vegetable seedlings, clearing of scrub and grass-cutting.
The two primary Millennium Development Goals for Lesotho, of Poverty Reduction/Food Security and HIV/AIDS formed the backdrop for our activities. From the moment when we first started planning this year’s celebrations with the establishment of our 2007 Lesotho International Volunteer Day Forum on 23 October and our Forum Steering Group on 29 October, we have seen the very best of volunteer spirit in action.

Our Day was celebrated in three of the ten districts: Butha-Buthe, Matsieng in Maseru and Mafeteng Hospital; and truly reflected the way in which local, national and international volunteers can come together, leaving aside their own agenda, to celebrate this cross-cultural showcase of Lesotho volunteerism.

Members of the 2007 Lesotho International Volunteer Day Forum include the American Peace Corps; the Embassy of the United States of America; Food and Agriculture Organization; Global Fund; International Monetary Fund; the Irish Embassy; LENEPWA; Lesotho Girl Guides; Lesotho National Federation of Organisations of the Disabled; Lesotho National Volunteer Commission; Lesotho Planned Parenthood Association; Lesotho Workcamps Association; Ministry of Health and Social Welfare; Sarah Barbadoro, international volunteer; Paola Vega, international volunteer; National AIDS Commission; Positive Health; Sentebale; Skillshare International and Australian Volunteers International; UNDP; UNIC; UNICEF; UN Habitat; UNAIDS; UNV; WHO and the World Food Programme. Catholic Radio, Lesotho TV and Public Eye have acted as our media partners, promoting volunteerism and our plans to a varied and diverse audience right across Lesotho.

We are also deeply indebted to the District Authorities in Maseru, Mafeteng and Butha-Buthe together with the Ministry of Forestry and Land Reclamation, to the Principal Chiefs and Local Chiefs, the Community Councils, local Basotho and international volunteers who have so generously worked with us to make this event happen. We would like to make special mention of the Ministry of Gender and Youth, Sport and Recreation, which, through the Lesotho National Volunteer Commission and its Director, M’e Evelyn Mokhosi, have so generously committed funding in support of each of our three venues. Our thanks too go to Lesotho Dairy Products for their contribution of Maluti Maid for our volunteers and to all of our suppliers, who have worked so diligently to turn our plans into reality. We would especially like to thank Econocom Foods, Johannesburg and the Alliance Francaise, Lesotho for their generous donation of ePap to our three communities.

Thank you. It was a great Day and you are the ones who made it possible.
We will soon start planning our 2008 Day and now is your chance to tell us what you would like us to do to mark this important event in the Lesotho volunteer calendar.
Contact the UNV Programme Office

You can call us at 2231 3790, ext.326 (Orfhlaith Ramsey) and ext.327 (Ntsieli Tlahali). We are based in UNDP at UN House, United Nations Road, PO Box 301, Maseru 100. For email, write to Orfhlaith.Ramsey@undp.org  and Ntsieli.Tlahali@undp.org . We look forward to hearing from you.