The Lesotho Connection is a charitable organization that partners directly with local Lesotho groups to respond to the high incidence of:

  • orphaned and vulnerable children,

  • families infected and affected by disease such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and COVID-19,

  • and the extreme poverty in Lesotho, Africa.

TLC History - Timeline

  • 2002- Sr. Juliana Manele and Bishop Sebastian Khoarai created the St. Camillus Centre in response to the needs in the region.

  • 2006-Theresa Power-Drutis from Tacoma, WA, travels to Lesotho to work on her doctoral thesis and shares what she sees and the organizations she connects with in letters to friends and family in Tacoma.

  • 2007- The Tacoma Lesotho Connection becomes an incorporated non-profit in the state of Washington 2007 by Father Bill Bichsel S.J. (Bix), Joe Power-Drutis and others.

  • 2007- TLC’s initial fundraising efforts are a success yielding $46,000, funding a truck for the St. Camillus Centre.

  • 2012- The Tacoma Lesotho Connection changed its name to The Lesotho Connection (still TLC) to reflect their growing support and scope.

  • 2013-Chagrin Falls, OH resident and Lesotho Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Linda Henry, joined TLC and agreed to be the in-person representative as TLC worked to assist Sr. Juliana in building a home for orphans.

  • 2014-The new St. Camillus Centre for Orphaned and Vulnerable Children was completed and can house up to 30 children.

  • 2017- With the help of a grant from the Oak Tree Foundation, TLC helped support the hiring of a social worker to facilitate the reunification of families and to meet other needs of the orphans at the Centre.

  • 2018- Linda Henry escorted and organized a medical brigade to bring expanded medical care to the St. Camillus Centre and surrounding community.

  • 2018- Funds were raised to add a library to the St. Camillus Centre.

The Lesotho Connection is a non-denominational, 501(c)3 organization that aspires to develop resources, promote understanding, and foster mutuality between communities in United States and Lesotho. TLC works in partnership with grass-roots, Basotho led organizations responding to:

  • The high incidence of HIV/AIDS;

  • Ever growing number of AIDS orphans and vulnerable children;

  • Extreme poverty of Lesotho, Africa.