in loco program

IN LOCO FELLOWS’ BLOG SERIES #4: Getting The Right Tan

May 29, 2018By 1 Comment

May 5 was my birthday and I was turning 28. I always thought by now I would have all the money I could ever want, a house in the country with horses, a tall, dark and handsome husband and kids and I would call that success. But on my 28th this is what I have learnt. Seeing those smiles of the children who were celebrating with me was more than a smile of a husband and a few kids could ever bring. The love I received was more than any conditional love I would get from my own family because I would be theirs. But these children give without expecting me to belong to one or all of them. That my friend is the success I am willing to invest in and keep.

My name is Mammatli Molefi and I received my bachelor’s degree in social work from National University of Lesotho in 2013. I never thought I would ever be involved in designing a building or even digging foundations as we’ve been doing this month. But I have come to realize that every profession or business needs a social worker. Architects are creatives but in order for that creativity to be meaningful, measurable and impactful, there should be a link between them and the society for whom they are designing. As experts in our fields we always assume we know what is best for the people we work for but that is not always the case. We may create something beautiful, unique, and innovative but if it is not functional or doesn’t benefit the people we have created it for then that would be a terrible loss and a waste of time.

in loco isn’t a traditional kind of project. It is diverse and goal driven. The first month of this project was about getting to know our clients, their environment, their hopes and dreams and hopefully make them come true instead of imposing our own dreams on them. It was a great and touching experience especially when the smallest child in my group drew a very simple house with a small baby sleeping in front of it. It was beautiful!

The sleeping, playing and eating spaces were derived from all the information we receive. What I have realized with architecture is that, money doesn’t do the talking but the mind does all the walking, through exploring locally available materials, recycling and coming up with something less costly yet worth millions in value and impact to the people it is done for. I can’t wait for September when the project will be done and I will be proud to have brought the youth at God’s Love Centre’s dream to reality, changed lives and set the future in motion.

This month we have also been doing market research for our businesses, on the entrepreneurial side. Since we got certified as business facilitators to offer simplified business skills to women and youth with low literacy in February, we have been facilitating the business sessions with the GLC women and youth. The program doesn’t end here as we are going to continue monitoring their progress until their businesses are successful enough for them to move to the next level. We believe that starting small is a way to get to where one wants to be in wealth rather than waiting for when one is financially fit, which may never come if one doesn’t start with what they have. Which sometimes can just be “themselves” because the best capital one has is their brains.

We have also been strengthening the orphanage’s governance capacity through weekly leadership trainings. The goal of these sessions is to make sure that the facility complies with the Ministry of Social Development’s guidelines, is well structured and is able to sustain itself through fundraising. The most interesting activity was when we were building cardboard boxcars. The activity was meant to show that everybody has some bone of creativity in them and innovation they can create products that can generate them income and change their predicament.

The Lesotho Red Cross Society also sponsored us for first aid training. Seven GLC staff members and four in loco Fellows attended the training. Shout out to Mr Moeketsi Lethoko from Lesotho Red Cross for being so patient with us.

May is gone now and I believe took some of my muscles with it. No, I mean I gained some since the construction started!

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rise update – May 2018

May 16, 2018By 0 comment

It has quite literally been a ground-breaking week for rise, as we FINALLY got out the spade and dug the first foundations for the residential center and business hub for vulnerable youth in Lesotho. Over 70 people turned up to celebrate with us and it was amazing to have the support of the Ministry of Social Development, local and international corporates, the local Chief and community members. Not to mention some of the inspirational youth who will benefit from the new building! None of it would have been possible without our awesome sponsors, stakeholders and partners that give their time, expertise and materials to our cause. Feeling proud here at rise!

Here is an artist’s impression of the residential center that we are NOW BUILDING! It was designed entirely by our in loco fellows and will house 6 girls and 6 boys, age 14+ who will be moved here from the desperately overcrowded GLC Orphanage close by. As well as being a safe home for the youth to live and finish school, the residence will help them transition to independent life as they will be launching their own sustainable small income generating activities. It’s so inspiring to be part of their ideas and to genuinely know that these initiatives will not only support them, but others in the community, for many years to come.

International Workshops – July & August

True to our core values, we work hard to build relationships and link expertise from around the world to make lasting change happen. There is no part of this project that isn’t living and breathing social enterprise and at every turn we equip the fellows, graduates, mentors and young orphans with skills that they can benefit from long term and share with others in the community. We believe this is a dignified and long-term path to development.

Part of this is our International Design & Build Workshops in July and August. These act as a hands on knowledge exchange between local fellows and international students, as well as help raise essential funds to make this project possible. We’re excited to see the results of this as our first cohort of adventurous students arrive from all over the world in July. We have a few places left to fill the workshops, so have extended the deadline for applications until 30th May. More information

Making your dollar stretch even further

BIG NEWS on the fundraising front; our co-founder and principal sponsor BOND events, who run networking events for the architecture industry in North & South America, have agreed to donate $1.67 for every $1 we raise.

Shop on Amazon and do good for the world!

This is doubly exciting, as we’ve signed up for Amazon Smile USA. So if you’re purchasing on Amazon PLEASE use Amazon Smile and put rise international as your charity of choice. What better way to feel good about your shopping! Start now

 

Words from the fellows….

We thought you might enjoy reading about our Lesotho project first hand; our local fellows have been bravely writing their first blogs, sharing some of their experiences of what it means to them to be part of the rise in loco fellowship team. These heartfelt and often witty words, offer an insight to the huge learning curve and day-to-day adventure these guys are on.

February by Palesa, March by Thandi, and April by Madane.

Coming to New York

Finally, our founder, Daniela Gusman, is going to be attending the Real Estate Weekly Women’s Forum, in NYC on June 5th. It’s an honor to be invited as the only not-for-profit sponsor to this event, and to be able to share the innovative ideas and work of rise international with the leading innovators across the business spectrum. Daniela will be looking for industry experts with vision, who are keen to build a CSR program within the architecture and design community by partnering with rise. She will also be unveiling the exciting news about the launch of our architecture competition…designing residential houses for low-income families made from locally sourced materials! More about that to come….but if you’re in New York and interested in getting in touch to find out more, pop by and say hello at the event or email directly on [email protected]

Follow us live

Thank you for reading our newsletter and supporting us all here at rise International. Keep your eyes open for news on our build and ongoing work, as well our first step into Facebook LIVE, where we will be screening our guest lecture series at Lerotholi Polytechnic! These fascinating lectures, presented by industry experts, have included some interesting debates exploring many issues, relating to the significance of architecture, building from local materials, sustainable development in vulnerable communities and design failures when customers are not an integral part of the design process of any building, product or service.

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in loco program

in loco fellows’ blog series #3

May 1, 2018By 0 comment

Three months as a Fellow…

I am Madane Bataung, a graduate in civil engineering from Lerotholi Polytechnic in Lesotho. I am also the founder of @Nebulart Recycling Group. I am that nice guy who leaves his car unlocked to offer a safe haven for someone in case they encounter a polar bear! Old music and me…..same WhatsApp group. I would walk away from signing a million dollar contract if anyone offered me vinyls I don’t have already!

It has been such a change in environment these past three months. Let me just put this out there, I feel good to be part of the in loco fellowship. I know some people might ask what I’m doing here or maybe wondering if I have given up on my company, not a chance.

 

Trust me I have ulterior motives for being here. I get to make and test mud bricks that may be used in the construction. This was super exciting to do because building with mud has been a fantasy of mine.

That is why I have been building with waste cans, glass bottles and mud to build recycle bins (see Nebulart’s Facebook and other social media). So now I am about to get firsthand experience building a home, surely you can see the snowball effect with the mud bricks here. Plus I am also being given business training to improve my company.

 

 

 

We had a trip to Morija two months ago to study some vernacular architecture. I never knew Morija holds the record of having the oldest standing building in the country (Maeder House – built in 1843). That was like those high school trips that will forever get you smiling from ear to ear when they come to mind. For starters, I got the best view in the mini bus, “the back seat”.

I know for a fact that every fellow will not forget when the Boss Lady was on door duty and would shout out “Morija, Morija, phakisa, phakisa (hurry, hurry) at every stop, I think she took a wrong turn in profession, she would have made an awesome taxi driver assistant {hahaha….}

We have just been given feedback on our work so far, which was a nerve-racking moment before I could sit down with the coaches. The feedback was unexpected. I found out new things about myself, where I have been doing a good job and where I need to improve.

I can say it’s safe to say it was an eye opening session of constructive criticism which I have built a “lesaka” (fondness) for. Never thought I am that much of a hard worker, self driven or disciplined (not blowing my own trumpet here!

I had a conversation about music with the Boss Lady (she’s definitely not going to like that name) a few days back and wow! She’s got some dope hip-hop artists I’ve never heard of, can’t wait to hear what everyone else in the studio is listening to.

There have been times in the office when I would just be mind blown by the level of disinterest or reluctance from some of the fellows to take on tasks. In a way, I would be glad I don’t have to be that sick patient who would cut in line at the hospital just because my injury is more urgent. I had more options to choose which skills I would like to learn next without “competing,” but that was then. Now, now I think everyone has figured out, if they want to make it out alive and succeed after the fellowship, it is up to us to add on to our skills because no one can take away our talents.

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