Nine-year-old Teboho sat on the side of the street. A gust of wind blew dust in his eyes. He called out to people passing by," Money, money for food! My family is hungry!" Sometimes people put a few coins in his cup, and he could buy a little food to take home to his mother. Sometimes people offered him food. But most times, he walked home with his stomach aching from hunger.
Three years ago Teboho's father died, leaving Teboho, his mother and two younger brothers to take care of themselves. Life was pretty hard even before that. His father worked as a miner in South Africa. Because he was a migrant worker he was often away from his family for a long time. Then he was laid off from his job, and things got a lot worse. Soon afterward, Teboho's father died.
Teboho and his family live outside a town in Lesotho. His mother could sometimes find work washing clothes or cleaning for others, but never enough to pay to keep the children going to school.
Subsistence farming and gardens are one of the main ways people live in Lesotho. Only 10 percent of the land can be used to grow crops. To make matters worse, there is a drought in Lesotho right now.
The Unity is Strength Network has been training its members how to farm in some new ways. Network members train others in their communities. Instead of buying fertilizer, pesticides and seeds, they are learning to use compost piles and animal dung . They have also learned new ways to cultivate seeds and to plant them in ways that help produce the most food.
Teboho and his mother have learned to grow food for themselves and food to sell to others. Instead of begging, Teboho and his brothers can go to school. Now Teboho and his family are growing more than food- they are growing hope for a better life.
Pray for Teboho and other kids who have to work instead of going to school.
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