On the far side of the Better World Island is an area that is rather less dramatic in appearance, and less attention-grabbing in content, than the others that I have blogged about, but which deserves a thoughtful visit.

This is the Gardens of Hope area, dedicated to a schoolhouse project in the African state of Lesotho. To describe what it is about, I think I can do no better than to quote from a website about the project (there is a link to this site at the end of the blog):

Near the village of Ha Makhata, Mamello Lehlotha has been working since the year 2000 to give a safe haven to the mentally and physically handicapped. As founder and director of the Phelisanong Disabled HIV-AIDS Orphans and Vulnerable Children Community Project , she oversees a resource center for disabled adults and children, several HIV-AIDS support groups, a farm, a pre-school, a handicraft cooperative and an outreach program that serves twenty villages in the area.

These kind of self-help projects, whose good effects can last not just for years but potentially for generations, always engage my attention. It is hard to explain precisely how I react to them, but let’s say that they strike me as the best hope for a better life for those involved.

The island area itself may be undramatic, but it is very well put together (the wandering turkeys amused me!), and if you notice a wheelbarrow…well, that is my own small contribution!

Links

The Ha Makhata Schoolhouse Project

As mentioned in my previous blogs, there are snapshots from my own visit to the island, along with the other areas of Better World:

A Better World Island photo album

Better World Island SLURL