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Mpho lives on the edge of the mountains in a village called Ha Maphathe. Lesotho is a beautiful country, but the mountain slopes are quite rocky, sandy and are difficult to grow crops on.

Many people there live in round houses called ‘Rondavels’. Lesotho is a very interesting country as most people there live in the mountains. That is why the traditional house, called a rondavel, is quite small, so that it is easy to heat. In the high mountains there are regular thunder storms, so having a tyre on the roof could save your life! Many people there live in round houses called ‘Rondavels’.

Everywhere is very rocky. Many people’s gardens are so rocky that they can’t really grow anything there at all. However, they have to try as most of the food they eat has to be grown at home because they can’t afford to buy it.

Mpho lives with his Mum and Grandma and next door to his friend Rafiri (seen here). Like most people in Lesotho, they grow their own food. They have small plots of land in their back garden where they grow a variety of fruit and vegetables. This is Mpho and his friend Rafiri wearing the national dress – blankets!

Mpho lives with his Mum and Grandma- this is their rondavel. Mpho’s grandma is similar to many Baostho people in that they have a rondavel and a small second house. Sadly, many houses like this were built by husbands who worked in the mines in South Africa, who have since died from HIV/AIDS, leaving a good house but no money or food.

This is their garden where they grow all of their food This is their garden where they grow all of their food. A lot of work goes into making sure that all of the plants grow well. Their garden is full of plants growing really well, especially in the keyhole garden

And this is why it’s called a ‘keyhole’! Many things are round in Lesotho – including some of the gardens! People are taught to make these gardens by Send a Cow. They are called ‘Key Hole’ gardens because of the shape that the path and basket gives when seen from above. The design keeps soil from being washed away and allows you to put waste water into the central ‘basket’, which then percolates to all of the plants. The straw is placed on top to keep in moisture and stop water from evaporating. And this is why it’s called a ‘keyhole’!

Mpho loves the vegetables – beetroot is his favourite! Mpho’s Key Hole garden grows all sorts of foods like spinach, onions cabbage and beetroot. Families usually pick leaves from plants which will then keep on growing – they call this an ‘evergreen’ garden. It means that he will be able to eat a variety of healthy food all year round. The height that the spinach and other plants get to is very impressive for the locals and they all ask how Mpho’s family did it! Along the sides of there is a fence to keep animals away. They grow tomatoes, chillies, peppers and more spinach along here.

Can you spot which is the cabbage, spinach and beetroot? The plants flourish because of all the good soil and waste water that is used to help them grow. Can you spot which is the cabbage, spinach and beetroot?

The garden is full of plants growing really well. These are the sweet peppers that are grown in their garden – a great source of vitamin C. They also have a huge chilli bush and several tomato plants. The garden is full of plants growing really well.

Hoeing and weeding have to be done. Mpho’s Grandma has to make sure the weeds are kept away, but the design of the garden helps with this so that it isn’t too difficult.

They are both very proud of their garden! They are very proud to have such a fantastic garden. Different crops grow so that they have a balanced diet, helping to keep them free from malnutrition.

Mpho’s mum uses the vegetables to make a stew on her stove. They were also given training in how to make this energy saving stove, which uses less wood and burns more efficiently. As their food is mainly from the garden, it can be chopped, cooked and put on a plate just twenty minutes after picking it! So Mpho knows all about how things grow and the value of healthy eating at aged 4. Mpho’s mum uses the vegetables to make a stew on her stove.

Today’s lunch is spinach, cabbage and maize meal, mmm! There is so much food in their garden that they can share with neighbours (like Rafiri) and sell some to buy other necessities like candles, shoes and sugar. Today’s lunch is spinach, cabbage and maize meal, mmm!

Mpho has lots of energy to play thanks to the healthy food he eats. Mpho can look forward to a more healthy life and he has plenty of energy to play around. Eating all the vegetables means that he will be able to fight off illness and diseases more effectively too. Mpho has lots of energy to play thanks to the healthy food he eats.

The lives of children like Mpho are totally changed when they are able to eat good food on a regular basis. Mpho’s Grandma is able to help other families to do this in her village by passing on the training that she was given by Send a Cow. Goodbye from Mpho!