Planting seeds for change

Responding to the chronic food shortage, TTL focuses on preventing and improving childhood malnutrition rates in the Mokhotlong and Thaba- Tseka districts of Lesotho. Many rural families face the ongoing risk of food insecurity given that many people do not have access to agricultural land and those that do may not have the necessary equipment and seeds. Situations like this have resulted in a stunting rate of children under-5 of almost 40% in Lesotho according to the World Food Programme.

The TTL Outreach Program has been providing children under-5 with food packages on a monthly basis consisting of, amongst a variety of other items, canned vegetables. We are always looking for ways to improve our services, and we strive to support our families in achieving food security and self-sustaining food sources –  plus we want to spread the word about how good vegetables are for a child’s balanced diet! So we are excited to introduce our newest project – Needs for Seeds!

At the start of the Spring season this September, TTL Outreach staff began distributing packages of cabbage, carrots, spinach, and squash seeds to each TTL client family. Along with providing some direction on how best to use the land available for a garden, our Outreach staff will collaborate with the Lesotho District Ministry of Agriculture in Mokhotlong to make sure families are receiving  information on proper planting techniques.