Lottie’s life-changing trip to Lesotho with Africa’s Gift

Registered NHS nurse Charlotte Driver recently founded Lottie The Doula to support women in the vital few weeks after giving birth. Having already travelled to Africa to help women in Tanzania, earlier this year she embraced the opportunity to deliver eco cook bags to women and children cooking over open fires in the Malealea Valley while investigating maternal health and baby wearing.

1:3 people in the world cook over an open fire, worldwide.

Every 20 seconds someone dies from the effects of the smoke, and half of those people are under 5 years old- according to the World Health Organisation.

Here Charlotte shares a few thoughts from her daily journal 17- 28 January 2023

17/1/23- Dropped off at Sheffield Coach station. Anxious, excited, nervous, eager…

Meet Elaine for the first time. She’s lovely! We hit it off straight away. Quick kiss and a big hug for hubby, and we’re off. I must admit, I had taken my ear phones, in case of any awkward conversation- or lack of it- on the 5-hour coach trip to Heathrow. Didn’t use them once! We didn’t stop talking all the way.

Arrived at Heathrow and found Faye, having checked in. We were soon through security and off for the beginning of our life changing adventure.

Flight on time: London – Johannesburg.

Day 1-Flight uneventful- pleasant even.

Met at Johannesburg by Ken, director of Africa’s Gift, and great friend of Faye’s.

First impressions – what a man! So welcoming and enthusiastic. It’s contagious.

Drive to Bethulie. Ken chats most of the way. So many fascinating stories.

Stop at services on motorway. Views are amazing. Haven’t ever taken photos of views from a service station before! Am so pleased to be here. Feel ‘fired up’ with the enthusiasm from Ken even though I’m tired from travelling.

Arrived a few hours later at The Royal Hotel, Bethulie. The world’s leading expert on the Boer War runs the hotel- Tony. Hotel is wonderful. Floor to ceiling books, wall to wall, in most communal areas. A few rooms have floor to ceiling vinyl/albums. It is stunning. Hubby would love it! Couldn’t possibly have this at home, sadly… too many H&S regulations. Lovely evening meal and drinks at the bar. Very comfortable nights sleep. Room with en-suite. All great.

Day 2- Drive to Bloemfontein. En-route: Harter beasts, Secretary birds, Impala, Spring Bock, all in fields at the side of motorway, roaming free.

Went to buy fabric for the Eco Cook Bags. While there, message arrived from British High Commissioner, to go and meet him, at his home. Worried about what I’m wearing – no lippy, etc! Not a problem, Ken knows him well, and he is a great supporter of Africa’s Gift - so once over the border we head straight to meet Harry MacDonald.

Fabric is dropped off at Sylvia’s shop. She runs a co-operative type shop, and a few souvenirs bought. Beautiful gifts for home. Sylvia makes some of the shells for the Eco Cook Bags.

Chat with Ken about Abuntu meaning share the love. You may be at the top today but may be at the bottom another day, so share everything.

I love this! I believe in this.

I can already feel the overwhelming sense of community here in Lesotho.

Day 3- Chat with Malealea development trust (MDT) staff team. Walk through village with two of the young women. Telling us about how the chief has to give permission for most things; or, if the chief suggests to do something, it is not really a suggestion, but more – ‘please do this!’

There is high maternal death rate.

The smoke from the open fires people are cooking on is causing babies to be born with low birth weight, and babies are generally low in weight.

Clinics – big push to have babies at a clinic due to the high levels of HIV. It is illegal to have a baby at home. However, this is difficult to govern. The baby is not ‘certified’ easily if born at home.

HIV medication is free from a clinic. Fridges are not always kept cold.

Children are cared for by the whole extended family.

The MDT run a fair on the last Saturday of every month, at the community centre. There is food, fun, HIV testing. Testing is done by clinic staff.

Are people malnourished? Advice about food, electrolytes given to people with HIV and AIDS. This is funded by Steven Lewis Foundation.

MDT is supported by Africa’s Gift.

Day 4- Pony Trek. Wow! Amazing day, again. The ponies are part of a village co-operative. We needed 4 ponies. There is a list, and the next 4 ponies on the list are sent. The money from this hack pays for their upkeep, vets fees, and they get a full check over at the centre. The village families who own the ponies rely on them for income.

Landscape is breath-taking – fossilised sand dunes: 200 million years old Permian era. Pre-dinosaur. I’m learning so much more than I expected on this trip. Ken’s love of Lethoso, the people, the climate and the planet is simply contagious!

We arrive at Ha Malealea and find a young mum aged 14, with 16 week old baby, She’s looking after the extended families’ children. All the rest of the family are at a funeral in the neighbouring village. Saturday is ‘funeral day,’ the death rate is so high.

Young mum is cooking over an open fire inside a small thatched rondavel home, and smoke is billowing out. She allows us to look inside. Small goat sitting on pile of bedding. Pot of food cooking on fire. Ken talks to her through our companion, Psotang, one of the guys who works for the Malealea Development Trust (MDT). Asks if she’d be interested in learning about a sustainable, eco friendly way of cooking, that will improve her health, and that of her baby. She says the smoke hurts her eyes and baby’s health is not good. Psotang says he will make arrangements for the team to return and talk to the village chief, gain permission to share about the Eternal Flame eco cook bags, next week.

Day 5- trip to local church. Lebuela – lay minister at Catholic Church. Service was at 11 but had to be delayed due to heavy rain fall.

Beautiful communion service held in local school building. Three young women for confirmation, presented by the Mother’s Union.

Service was in Sesotho but every now and then the priest translated

into English for us. Did not need any language, could feel a beautiful atmosphere that no language needs – love, peace, friendship, acceptance…

Day 6- Chatting to MDT about the Monster Race. A yearly mountain bike race. Looks absolutely bonkers to me, but I know so many who’d love it!

Visit to Malere secondary school to demonstrate the eco cook bags. Tell the children and educate them, as they’ll pass on the information to their parents. We leave and return six hours later to show how the bags work, and get a young girl to try the beans. She makes all her friends laugh by saying they didn’t have enough salt on! Ken is wonderful with these young people, and the staff too. His ease of communicating with them all – no wonder he won awards while teaching. Everyone laughs so much while learning.

As we travel on, we see a lady walking at the side of a hill, carrying a huge pile of wood on her head. She is happy to be photographed.

While beans are resting in the eco cook bag we visit fishing farm and community farm area- ladies co-operative, run by ‘Bridgette.’ She was challenging Ken as to why some things had not yet happened. She was not happy with the quantities of seedlings available from the MDT. Said it was a challenge for their crops to have a market value.

We help to shovel silt from the fishing ponds. This is why we were asked to bring gardening gloves and old clothes!

Once back at the lodge in Malealea, lovely cool Savannah cider, while watching the sunset. Evening meal, as always, wonderful. Steak tonight.

Day 7-

Ha Botsuela. Village chief present and called all village to meeting with us, to learn about the eco cook bags. Meeting held in school building, which was a very small hut. Each household sent at least one representative.

While the bags were ‘doing their magic’ and cooking the beans, we drove to the most beautiful waterfall. Walked down the final part of the track and swam to the waterfall. Breath taking beauty. Had lunch here which is provided daily by the lodge.

Returned to village to show how effective bags are. Five households wanted Eco Cook Bags there and then, including the chief.

Went on to Mae Mathuso’s home to present her with two new Eco Cook bags. She had had some but gave them to her daughter, as she felt they protected the lives of her grandchildren, and though that was more important than her own life. So she was delighted to receive the pans.

This lady has long term health conditions and had had help from the MDT to have keyhole gardens.

Keyhole garden – straw, wood ash, top soil, repeat. Manure in the middle pot. Compost on the top of some.

Water the middle only. When each layer is built, it is saturated with water. Built at a slight angle, usually three layers. MDT teach to use organic pesticides only: vinegar. They provide seeds as a starter too, then the person shares with a neighbour – co-operative ways.

Mae Mathuso was given new pots to cook in and also more seeds too.

Very happy lady!

Day 8-Driver out of Lesotho at 05.30

Cross the border with no issues.

Once in SA on main road see: Red Bishop, small deer-type animal with horns, weaver birds, birds of prey, wyder bird, Cobra in the road, wildebeests, zebra, antelope.

Drive into North West Province. Heading for Rustenburg. Birth place of Paul Kruger. Hotel is a living museum of the Boer War: Kedar Heritage Lodge.

It has monkeys darting about in the trees, above our heads, as we arrive in the reception area of the hotel. Giraffes can be found in the grounds too, but we didn’t see any today.

It’s been a very long day, especially for Ken, driving.

Load shedding in SA – well that’s another story all together, but what a nuisance for all living with electricity outages, day in, day out.

Day 9- Up at 04.45

I am not sure I remember being up for sunrise for many a year… reminds me of my lovely postnatal clients, up for the early feed – or is it the late one?

We’re off to Pilanesburg Nature Reserve for sunrise.

Drive through a small town called Leggett.

Met our Game Trekker – Peter, running the tour. The safari was everything I hoped it would be, and more. Peter was great at spotting animals that were hiding away, and Ken was like our own personal guide, spotting birds and animals Peter didn’t quite see. Highlight for me was seeing lions, particularly one that just walked along side our truck.

We returned to the hotel for a few hours. Massage at the hotel was soothing and relaxing.

Debrief of the trip - Chatting to the group about how this trip has changed me, and how we can all play our part to help care for the planet. Couldn’t imagine not being deeply moved by the people of Malealea, and this whole trip to South Africa.

I’ve definitely had my eye out for the mammas, babies, families, and had some very informative conversations about the role of the ‘birth worker’ in the local communities.

I’ve learnt about baby wearing traditions, which are different to ours. The ladies howled with laughter at the thought of our men wearing or carrying a baby or young child. We laughed and learnt together at the differences in our traditions, and cultural rituals. Confinement is still strictly adhered to, and new mother’s are cared for entirely by the mother-in-law and her family.

We also shared stories of bereavement and widowhood. Some of us on the trip had similar life stories to the ladies we met. Grief stinks, no matter who we are! Shared similarities tightened our friendship bonds.

The purpose of the trip was to bring and share the wonderful Eco Cook Bags, but it became far, far more than that.

Late afternoon we returned to the Nature reserve again, for sunset. Truly beautiful to watch creation settle down for bed. The sounds and smells are something I’ll never forget. A family of elephants basking in the sun, dusting themselves off, while Impala walk through them and then cross the road in front of us, with their young excitedly kicking their back legs as they run.

Two families: living as nature has taught them.

Day 10- off to Johannesburg airport. As I leave, I know I have left a piece of my heart behind.

So very grateful to all my friends and family who sponsored an Eco Cook Bag.

Home…

Charlotte can be contacted at https://lottiethedoula.co.uk/

You can book Hope Walking’s next life-changing African Adventure jointly guided with Ken this October.