Give Childhood a Chance and Keep Youth Drug Free!

Today we would like to share with you a story from Lesotho, where alcoholism is an epidemic in a country with the 3^rd highest HIV prevalence in the world. For men and women, alcohol remains the 3rd highest risk factor for death and for children of alcoholics, the risks are many, including transmission of disease, abuse and neglect.

The Blue Cross in Lesotho runs a professional treatment center, giving men, women and children a chance to overcome their addiction and lead a normal life.

Mr. Matete is a hydrology engineer. He had a very good job helping to construct the Katse dam, a great piece of engineering that provides water for large parts of South Africa. He made good money, and could therefore afford to buy alcohol. For a time he was able to maintain his job, but the alcohol started affecting his behavior and he often got into fights.

In 2005 he got married and his daughter was born. “But it was not really a family” he admitted. He admits that he even beat his wife, and was not really a dad. He was mostly out of the house, and he spent all their money in the bar. This continued for years.

In 2012 he was supposed to attend a prestigious international engineering conference abroad but his boss told him they would not allow him to go becuase he would get drunk and would not be a good representative of the company. His wife knew some staff at the Blue Cross Thaba Bosiu Center (TBC) and she registered him for in-patient treatment. It changed everything for him. He realized he wanted to change for himself, for his family and decided to follow the program to his best ability.

At the end of the treatment, he made a plan to be able to keep away from drinking. He started growing vegetable to sell for extra income and settled all his debt. Mr. Matete now owns his own construction company and uses his skills and talents to build a life for his family, for his girls.

The best thing with his new life he says, is the new relationship to people around him. “People around me are much happier. My daughter now feels safe with daddy."

I travelled to Lesotho in June this year and had the opportunity to meet Mr. Matete. His positive attitude and strength is an inspiration for his family, the clients at the Blue Cross center, which he still visits regularly, and the young clients that are fighting the battle of addiction. During my visit, there was a 12-year-old girl at the center, who just wanted a chance at a normal childhood. Blue Cross Lesotho offers children like her and the children of people like Mr. Matete this chance through their patience, hard work and dedication to the members of their community.

Your donations help the International Blue Cross change families lives all over the world. We thank you for your continued support in giving childhood a chance and ask that you please consider spreading the word by sharing our work with your friends and family!