VZCZCXRO4411
RR RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHJO RUEHRN
DE RUEHMR #0631 3611020
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 271020Z DEC 06
FM AMEMBASSY MASERU
TO RUEHMR/AMEMBASSY MASERU 2851
INFO RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY

UNCLAS MASERU 000631 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR AF/S MUNCY; ALSO PASS TO USAID - DR. MOTEN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID KHIV SCUL KDEM LT
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR'S VISITS REVEAL REMOTE AREAS BENEFIT FROM USG 
PROGRAMS 
 
 
¶1.  SUMMARY.  On November 28, Ambassador June Carter Perry and 
post's Special Projects team visited the District of Mokhotlong 
to review three Special Self-Help (SSH) Fund projects and to 
meet with Ambassador's Girls' Scholarship Program (AGSP) 
recipients there.  This visible outreach to an isolated area of 
the country reinforced positive views of American development 
assistance here.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2.  As part of Embassy Maseru's active Special Projects program, 
the Ambassador and Special Projects team (Coordinator Kathleen 
Norman and Assistant Malipholo Sepitla) paid a visit to several 
past and ongoing projects in this extremely remote and 
mountainous area of northeast Lesotho (6 hours from Maseru). 
During a courtesy call on the District Administrator, the 
Ambassador pledged ongoing U.S. support for outreach development 
projects in Mokhotlong, the USG commitment to the education of 
young women there and our resolve to help those involved in 
HIV/AIDS projects.  At this and her other stops along the way, 
the Ambassador stressed the importance of registering to vote 
and taking part in the upcoming elections as a way to strengthen 
democracy, and to empower civil society and youth participation 
in national growth and goals. 
 
¶3.  The team next visited the Senkoase High School, where 2004 
SSH grant money was used to purchase solar panels and hot water 
heaters for the girls' dormitory which houses 200 students.  The 
panels provide electricity for lighting the school to aid in 
nighttime studies, and hot water during the long, cold winters 
in the mountains.  The Senkoase Primary School children 
performed traditional hymns for the American visitors, and the 
Ambassador encouraged all the students to persevere in their 
academic work.  She especially congratulated seven recipients of 
scholarships through the Ambassador's Girls' Scholarship 
Program, and provided each with a gift of clothing donated by 
Embassy personnel and private Americans.  Ambassador Perry also 
distributed U.S. Embassy tokens of appreciation to school 
administrators.  There was also a review of Embassy books 
recently donated and monitored by a Peace Corps Volunteer as 
part of the USG's national loan library program across Lesotho. 
 
¶4.  The following stop was at "Touching Tiny Lives."  This is a 
shelter to support HIV-affected orphans, with an outreach 
program to assist extended families that care for OVC in 
training in nutrition, hygiene and general health support.  The 
project is run by a local director and two former Peace Corps 
Volunteers, and the Embassy grant has provided office furniture 
which allows the organization to function as a professional NGO, 
and securing basic items for the children and families so 
devastated by the scourge of HIV/AIDS in their district. 
Ambassador Perry congratulated the members of the project and 
the caregivers on their good work, and encouraged them in this 
critical line of defense against the spread of HIV/AIDS 
emphasizing the ABC model. 
 
¶5.  The final SSH project visited was Senate House (formerly 
supported by Peace Corps Volunteers), where funds to obtain a 
phone line, office equipment, furniture and educational 
materials were provided in FY2005.  The Center at Senate House 
runs a shelter for abused and battered women and provides health 
outreach initiatives and a wellness program for vulnerable women 
and children in the district. 
 
¶6.  COMMENT:  Embassy Maseru is committed to strengthening and 
expanding its development outreach projects to the most remote 
and therefore often neediest regions of Lesotho.  The 
Ambassador's visit to Mokhotlong was a successful example of how 
this is being accomplished.  END COMMENT. 
 
 
 
 
MURPHY 
 
PERRY