May 27, 2000
Dear Don,
I am Amy Vandegrift, the new chair of the Friends of Lesotho here in Lesotho. My husband Tom and I are part of the July 1999 Agriculture group. We’d talked about serving in the Peace Corps after we retired. In 1998 we decided to take early retirement and do “the hardest job you’ll ever love”. We were assigned to the Matela Farmer’s Training Center to help the staff with business and management skills, but find working with the school’s 33 students to be our primary focus. They come for two years to “learn the benefits of good farming”. Tom and my home of record is Bloomington, Illinois where we lived for ten years. Previously we had lived in Oregon and Colorado. Before joining Peace Corps I was the director of volunteers for our local museum of history.
I’ve enclosed a picture of the FOL committee, taken at our last VLC meeting. The members are, left to right: Melinda Daughtery, education January ’99, Kami Watson, environment July ’99, Wendy Lawrence, environment July ’99 and president of VLC, me, Anais Alexander, education January ’99, Amy Franklin, environment July ’99, Kendra Wohlert, education January ’99, Mary Ann Camp, agriculture ’98, Gail Lunden, school of self reliance July ’99, and Michelle Mitchell, education January ’99 and VLC vice-chair.
We want to thank the returned PCVs and you for all the support you give us. I can not begin to tell you how much your gifts help both the Basotho and the current PCVs. So often volunteers can see a need in their community and with just a bit of money, it can be completed. If they had to wait for funding from their respective agencies, it could take months to just get started.
Enclosed is a note from a project Gail Lunden was able to do at her site thanks to FOL. We have several requests for what we would think of as basic equipment and supplies for pre-school programs, from PCVs working with the pre-school programs around the country. These volunteers are working with Basotho pre-school teachers, teaching them how to improve their programs to be schools, not just babysitting.
Please let the Returned PCVs know that their contributions are being used well and with the current exchange rate, are going a long way to help the Basotho.
I want to include information in our VI – volunteers newsletter about FOL. Because there is a constant change of volunteers with those COS-ing and new trainees, we need to provide basic information about FOL regularly. Can you give me some facts about who you (collectively FOL) are and the support you provide for your former home?
Thank you for all your help. The committee and I look forward to working with you and the many returned PCVs who also served in Lesotho.
Yours,
Amy Vandegrift
November 4, 2000
Dear Don,
Enclosed are pictures from your visit in August. Thank you for the check for FOL. We deposited the check in the bank and can now offer grants to volunteers. Please thank all the friends of Lesotho. We were able to net 6,400M from your $1,000 check. This past VLC meeting we distributed 1,700M for a variety of projects. We’ll send you pictures and thank you letters as we get them.
Left to right: Country Director Carol Chappel, Amy Vandergrift, Nthakoana Peko, Don Spicer, Abbey Peko-Spicer.
Peace Corps has asked all volunteers to include HIV/AIDs information in with their primary projects. The statistics in Southern Africa are overwhelming. Is it possible for FOL USA to raise some money we could use for small grants just for AIDs education? This we would request over and above the usual FOL grant money you provide for us. It is easy to read all the figures but what all of the PCVs see are funerals every week, and most of the people in their 20′s and 30′s with children – these are not numbers – they are people. PCVs would like to do some things – even photocopy material, but need some additional money. These projects will use up the FOL grant money very quickly. So I’m asking for help.
I hope that things are well in the U.S. We do enjoy hearing the news. Things in Lesotho are day to day. There are always rumors – possible pay cuts for government workers and of course call for the elections which keep getting postponed. PCVs keep on working at their sites.
Take care. Say hello to your family and all the FOLs.
Khotso, Pula, Nala
Amy Vandergrift
Chair, FOL (Lesotho)
