TINY LIVES TOUCHING ME

I arrive at Touching Tiny Lives based in Mokhotlong, Lesotho (that’s Southern Africa…ps) and am in the most remote place I have ever been in my life. There isn’t much here. Donkies and horses roam the streets or street, would be more accurate. The ‘shops’ are mostly made of corrugated tin and plastic bags. The people are all bundled in thick blankets as the mountainous topography cools everything down drastically. Among the chaos, TTL sits purposefully and organized at the edge of town. Their mission:

Touching Tiny Lives Foundation is a registered non-profit organization dedicated to supporting children and families that are struggling to cope with the ravages of HIV/AIDS in rural Lesotho. Local personnel, assisted by international volunteers, provide essential care to severely malnourished, critically ill, or orphaned babies. TTLF provides outreach health services, nutritional supplements, medication, and continued social support to children, pregnant women, and caregivers in their village communities.

I have come to volunteer for the month. On my first day on the job, I quickly realized Mokhotlong is not nearly as remote as the places TTL’s Outreach team set off to everyday.

8:30 am Monday, the Outreach team and I pile into a pick up truck and set off to check up on TTL’s clients. The street that I mentioned earlier is paved, not smooth but it’s a start. It quickly turns into a dirt road. That dirt road turns into a path with potholes the size of a blowup children’s swimming pool. And that path turns into a mountain that would not be considered suitable for driving by anyone’s standard. After a quick hike to our final destination we arrive at a smoking rondaval to track the progress of a chubby little baby – a good sign. As my eyes water from the smoke I try to adjust. I inventory the room – some pots and pans, a few suitcases, a fire pit. In one day I have adjusted my perception of nothingness.

With no fancy Western-style marketing strategy, no big colorful posters around town, the people of Mokhotlong know and respect TTL. Their approach is simple, straightforward and effective. With a staff of 29 locals, TTL manages to spread their cause through a vast network of invested neighbors, medical clinics and hospitals and both past and current clients.

The crisis of modernity has greatly influenced many tribal and traditional societies in Africa rise out of poverty. A slow and steady approach to change may help ease this delicate transition – a pace that TTL functions well in.

Their success and willingness to travel where many others would not dare have earned them a spot as DON’T BE A BUM’S third featured organization.

WELCOME TTL!