March is Social Work Month,
so we’re honoring our BDS Social Worker, Malerotholi Rampa, who helped us gain legal guardianship of the children in our Lesotho childcare program!
Dream Coming True
Lesotho’s children stood at the core of Jennifer Crow’s dream that launched Beautiful Dream Society in 2008. With the second highest AIDS rate worldwide, Lesotho has approximately 150,000 orphans. Traffickers have targeted Lesotho as a place to ensnare children into human trafficking. The nation’s 
many vulnerable children and proximity to South Africa – a human trafficking hotspot – leave Lesotho open to traffickers’ preying tactics. Over the years, our Lesotho team has built a thriving childcare and education program. Every day, they work to ensure safety, education, and loving community for the kids in our program. We were thrilled when we recently obtained Lesotho court orders stating the children are now legally under our care! BDS has temporary legal guardianship of the children, which allows us to act on their behalf, in their best interest.
Court proceedings anywhere in the world, especially for matters of child custody and guardianship, can be very tedious. It makes sense; courts need adequate information in order to make wise decisions to protect the well-being of extremely vulnerable children. Nonetheless, the sheer number of steps in the process can become overwhelming. Thankfully, we had Malerotholi Rampa, our wonderful BDS Social Worker, walking with us every step of the
way!
Social Worker Extraordinare
Competent, reliable, and kindhearted help – the complete package – doesn’t grow on trees. This Social Work Month, we want to take the opportunity to recognize Malerotholi. A Lesotho native, Malerotholi was key to our legal guardianship process because she speaks the language – Sesotho – and deeply understands her own culture. Her advocacy on behalf of BDS proved extremely effective.
“Malerotholi is my sanity in this,” explains our Lesotho Education Director, Lorna Munger. “She is sweet, kind, and very hard working. She cares about BDS and is committed to the cause. She wants to see lives changed and will do whatever we ask of her to make sure this happens.”
Happy Social Work Month, Malerotholi and to social workers everywhere dedicating your life to protecting children! We’re so thankful for all you do!