Stories that speak to the Nation's Policy

By Nontokozo Ndlovu, 1st year MDP student

Coming to the end of my placement, I have mixed feelings of both happiness and sadness. I have enjoyed being here, learned a lot and been part of a huge family. I managed to make friends and had good interactions with BONELA's clients. Sometimes it was hard to hear heart breaking stories, but they made me stronger and work harder to see that clients got the help they needed.

BONELA has been and still is a safe space for many and a voice for the voiceless. I was involved in many different activities. I attended training on disability and related human rights and sign language. This was a refresher course for human rights advocates and training for new human rights workers. I was responsible to present on the right to health as a community engagement exercise. This was to help improve my presentation skills at an event for the People with Disabilities. This training explored the rights of disabled peoples, the issues they face in communities and the existing community protocols to help disabled people.

I attended the Gaborone District evidence-based planning meeting and the Kweneng Sub- District Council training workshop for the newly elected Child Protection Committee where I presented on the latter. I was tasked to present on The Rights of Children. With the help of the knowledge from my supervisor, I managed to present and tackle questions that were asked. This experience helped my confidence and understand more about the issues that the community faces. 

A landmark legal event for the LGBTI community happened during my placement – the Botswana's High Court's decriminalised same-sex relations. This ruling was cause for jubilation from the LGBTI community. This achievement impacts the work of BONELA as they can now freely address safe sex issues among the LGBTI community and prisoners. Stigma and discrimination against this community continues and BONELA will continue to stand with them and advocate for their rights.

Outside the High Court of Botswana after the Court Ruling

I enjoyed what I did as it is not only life impacting to me, but it changed lives. The knowledge I  gained is phenomenal.

Farewell, Botswana

By Alison Everitt, 2nd year MDP student

CEYOHO's Basha Youth Center in Tlokweng

I am now finishing my ninth week with CEYOHO in Gaborone, Botswana and getting ready to head home to Canada. During my time with CEYOHO my work has mainly focused on ensuring the sustainability of the organization. Like many small NGOs, CEYOHO is largely dependent on outside funding for specific projects and initiatives. As a result, there is limited funding available for the day-to-day work of the organization. In an effort to become more sustainable in the area of resource mobilization, my work has been mainly focused on finding long term, ongoing, donors and funders. 

One project that I have been working on in particular is the “Friends of CEYOHO” initiative in which we are looking for donors in the community and internationally who would be willing to donate time, resources, and funds on a regular basis. While it is always challenging to work in the area of resource mobilization, my time at CEYOHO has given me the opportunity to learn a lot from the people I work with and to better understand the issues of funding that small organizations face every day.

At CEYOHO I have been very fortunate to work with some truly wonderful people. They are always happy to take the time to answer my questions and to invite me to participate at different events and workshops that give me a better understanding of the HIV/AIDS sector in Botswana. I’ve had the opportunity to attend national workshops and to participate in community-level trainings and events – all of which have given me an invaluable experience that will greatly benefit me in my future.

Madikwe Nature Reserve in South Africa

While being in Botswana I’ve also had the opportunity to travel and see many of the amazing sights that southern Africa has to offer. From driving to Johannesburg (terrifying) to traveling around Cape Town (breathtaking) I have been able to see so many beautiful sights that I would not have been able to, were it not for this placement. In my last few weeks I will be traveling up north to Kasane – which I am told is the best place in the world to safari – and to Victoria Falls. I can’t wait!

Thank you to CEYOHO and WUSC for bringing me on this incredible journey – it is one that I know I’ll never forget!

From Botswana, With Love

By Ali Everitt, 2nd year MDP student

Dumelang from Gaborone, Botswana! This summer I will be working as a Resource Mobilization Intern for three months with the Centre for Youth of Hope [CEYOHO]. CEYOHO is a small organization that was founded by, and for, young people living with HIV. This organization strives to reduce the number of new infections, and to improve the lives of young people living with HIV through the use of prevention strategies and support services. If you have the chance, I urge you to check out their website at www.ceyoho.wordpress.com to see all of the great work that they are doing!

On my first game drive - Ali (L), our house mom, Thato (C) and Sunny (R) my roommate

While in Gaborone I am living with another student, Sunny, and our house mom, Thato. We live in the eastern part of Gaborone and since the city is just over 200,000 people it is quite easy to get around. My main mode of transportation has been combi’s (15 person vans) that have routes all over the city. At the start they were a little scary as the driving down here is quite fast-paced and the routes can be difficult to learn. Now after almost four weeks of practice I feel a little more comfortable and (almost) never get lost. Now having said that though I’m sure I’ll end up on the outskirts of town next time I take one.

What I didn’t realize before arriving here was that I would be in Botswana during their winter season. As a Canadian prairie girl, when I was told this upon arrival I was not too worried. Now after being here for a few weeks I have found that a southern Africa winter is not as warm as I had originally expected. During the days Gaborone is beautiful – usually around 25 degrees Celsius and perfectly sunny without a cloud in the sky. At night and in the mornings, however, it can drop to around 0 degrees and as the homes do not have insulation or central heating (to stay cooler in the summer and to keep costs lower) it gets very cold. As my roommate and I are always freezing we have had a lot of jokes thrown our way and trust me, the irony of being a Canadian who is cold in southern Africa is not lost on me. 

My first giraffe sighting at the Mokolodi Game Reserve!

So far we have gone on a game drive through Mokolodi Game Reserve and there we saw giraffes, baboons, warthogs, and ostrich. My roommate and I are looking in to doing several more of these around the country in the hopes of seeing the Big 5 – lions, elephants, rhinos, buffalo, and leopards – as well as Victoria Falls and the 4 Points (the only place in the world where four countries meet at one point). I can’t wait to see as much of this beautiful continent as possible!

Thanks for reading my first blog post! I’ll update you all again soon.

Hiking in Flip Flops

By Kirsten Junker-Andersen, 2nd Year MDP Student

Picture this, you have a long weekend to travel to a different town and, with a group of friends, you decide to go on a mokoro trip through the delta – admittedly one of most touristy activities that exists, but also something that simply cannot be missed. Essentially a mokoro is a dug-out canoe, steered by a person standing at the back with a long pole down the river through reeds and lilies, in a desperate attempt to see – but not be killed by – hippos and crocs.

After much research we were certain we had found the perfect trip, the description seemed idyllic and we felt more than prepared for our journey.  “A motorboat will take you to the mokoro launch point, from there you will navigate the delta in your mokoros until you reach an island where you will have lunch.  There will be opportunity for a walk around the island to escape the midday heat, after which you will return to the mokoro to complete your journey.”                                                                              

Perfect.  Floating in a boat steered by someone else, some lunch, perhaps a little walk – lots of quality tanning time throughout.  Living the dream. 

Our not so watertight, but beautiful, mode of transportation

I knew something was off the moment that we arrived for the trip when the owner of the facility looked at Dulce and I in our shorts and flip flops and said “you brought shoes and long pants for the hike right?”.  What? Hike?!  That sounded decisively more intense than a walk around the island but we assured her that we would be fine, no we did not bring anything different, and off we went on our boats.  The boat ride was as sublime as we had dreamed – and we did see hippos and survived – so by the time we reached the island we had nearly forgotten about the feeling of foreboding that we had earlier.  Then our guide announced that we would now be doing the hike, and that it would be 3 hours and asked if that was okay.  I think everyone thought this was kind of a joke and so while we were slightly wide-eyed nobody explicitly said no.  This was a mistake.

Our hike was, in fact, the entire 3 hours, and it definitely was not intended to allow us to escape the midday heat, as we were hiking through savannah and desert right during the heat of the day.  I am still unsure of the logic of this plan.  While we did have the opportunity to get shockingly close to some elephants, zebra, and some warthogs, by the time we reached the end we all collapsed to the ground in exhaustion sporting mild sunburns and extremely dirty and cut-up feet.  This was not what we had been prepared for.

Clearly there was little cover from the sun on this hike

Looking back on that experience I really see it as the perfect metaphor for my time here, or perhaps even for development in general.  People that go into this field often have extensive training – perhaps even master’s degrees – in the field, and years of experience that provide them with knowledge and an assurance that they understand what type of situation they are entering.  Despite this, no matter how many case-studies you have done, countries you have been to, or situations you have entered that are “just like this one” you can never be fully prepared or truly understand what you are getting into based on the story that you read on paper before you get there.  You can read the project description, the country profile, and ensure you get all the required vaccinations and preventative medications before you go, but all of that is truly irrelevant once you arrive.  Because “development” involves real people, and physical places, and actively engaging in something that is happening and changing regardless of whether you are there or not.  That’s the beautiful, but painful, part of trying to do this type of work.  It’s admitting that you aren’t fully prepared and that you never truly will be.  It’s kind of like hiking in flip flops - you’re still going to get there, the route just might be a little rougher along the way.   

 

The end result. Our feet may never be the same again.

A starry night in Shaikarawe

By Dulce Maria Gonzalez Ramirez, 1st year MDP student

It was the fourth day of field work in Shaikarawe. It was 6:20pm. The sun was setting, with a reddish and calm sky, nearly about to completely fade away when the first drummer arrived to the campsite. We were preparing a big fire with the wood we had collected during the day in expectation of the night’s events. Chairs and papyrus mats were set around the fire, while a pot was boiling for the tea we would share with our guests.  It was now 7:00pm. It was a cold but a serene and starry night. The Milky Way and the Big Dipper were totally visible. Elders, young men, and women with babies on their backs had come walking from their huts from around the village. Three dancers and two healers were getting ready, while two more drummers were warming up the leather on the top of their drums.

About 50 people were around the fire and the healing ceremony was about to start. The elders sat down with their canes between their legs in a dignified and proud manner but yet with a peaceful and gentle gaze. Most of the women and children sat on the left side of the healer. The healer knelt on his knees and a “patient” was lying down next to him, both over a big papyrus mat. The healer was whistling and singing a Khwe song about the ancestors while preparing his medicine with veld plants and roots. Many of the women were clapping and singing with the chorus. Next to the healer, on the right side, the three drummers produced a rhythm that echoed the healer’s whistle. The children were excited and amazed. I will never forget the shiny reflection of the fire on their eyes.

After a couple of songs, a blind elder came close to the fire and played a thumb piano and sang about hunting, tracking and traditions of the Khwe tribe; meanwhile, the dancers moved and contorted in a way that their bodies trembled like rattles. At this moment, there were no drums playing, only rattles, hand clapping and singing. 

It was 9:25 when the elder finished and the healer was about to conclude the healing process with dancing. He was in trance already. He stepped on the hot coals of the fire for a couple of seconds but impressively was not burnt or hurt at all. 

Suddenly and surprisingly, Chief Ponda, who was beside the crowd, took off his jacket and rolled up his sleeves to play a drum. 

Rhythms and counter rhythms were dense and complex. The singing and clapping are very important in a healing ceremony; they are repetitive and bring on a trance like state after few hours. The voices of women laid a vocal and rhythmic foundation while the songs and prayers from the healer began to build. These ceremonies are done for the healing of physical and spiritual pain. Each healer has a unique style and method of healing. 

The dancers and healers were not clad in their traditional regalia, usually made out of animal skin, due to a lack of resources. However, even with very simple and common clothing, each and every one of them was exhilarated. 

That night wisdom, love and respect for their spirits and ancestors was expressed, but also hope, courage and love for their traditions and future generations. We had seen other tribes wearing their beautiful costumes and truly enjoying their dances. However, that night, the Khwe people of Shaikarawe, with their hearts, shared with us one most pure joy. 

A one hour healing ceremony ended up as a three hours celebration for them and a life experience for us. It was one of the most authentic and impressive ceremonies I have ever witnessed, especially with the realization that this is one of the oldest groups of people on earth and therefore represents one of humankind’s oldest forms of spirituality. It was a great night. It was a celebration of life and hope for Shaikarawe.

To read in Spanish go to: http://dulceinbotswana.blogspot.com/2013/07/una-noche-estrellada-en-shaikarawe.html

The Rip-Off

By Kirsten Junker-Andersen, 2nd year MDP student

Most people who have been fortunate enough to spend any period of time in developing countries have, at one point or another, found themselves in a situation where after finishing a purchase – be it for a handicraft or even some market goods – they realize that the price they just paid is nowhere near the usual price of that good.  While at times there may be a show of good-faith and some bartering that takes place, though this too depends on the culture, odds are that your khakis, birkenstocks, and aviators created a larger target than even your best smooth talking allowed you to dodge.  And that’s on top of the fact that you may already be getting the “lekoa” price. 

 

Kirsten (L) and Dulce (R)

This is usually just accepted with a laugh and a shrug as an additional cost of travel, however, sometimes the situation stirs up some other emotions beyond the usual good-natured humour. 

Today, was one of those days.  

The details of the situation are not truly important – it can be summarized by saying that we purchased handicrafts from a community that we are working with at a cost above what we agreed on, Botswana isn’t big into bartering, and at a quality way below expected.  After hearing critical feedback from numerous coworkers, as well as from the Chief of the community, we had become fairly distressed about the situation and wondered aloud how we could be ripped off like this.  We were angry. Angry at the producer, angry at ourselves for making a rookie mistake, and angry at others for not saving us from ourselves. In our angst concepts like justice, fairness, and honesty were thrown around – it was a rough day, just stay with me here.  Then we checked ourselves, and truly thought about it.

The community that we are working in does not have a reliable supply of water, private sanitation or access to electricity. How is that just?

Nobody in the community has a vehicle and they have to walk over 10km, one way, to reach the nearest village for supplies.  How is that fair?

Only 4% of the community is formally employed, making us likely the only customers this man will have for quite a while.  So to be honest, he was a businessman and accurately judged our willingness to pay - good job.  

All that to say, it’s just a matter of perspective.  I called this post the rip-off, but tell me, who’s really getting ripped off here?