Last Week

So I have found that community based work is particularly uneven when it comes to time. Either you have a week where every hour is scheduled or a week where nothing is scheduled. On those days/weeks when I have nothing scheduled I typically walk around the village, trying to get to know people, learning new shortcuts to get places, or just hanging out with the kids on my street. Last week, was not one of those weeks. Everyday I was doing something and it was such a productive week that I figured I would share a bit of what I‘ve done here so far.

On Tuesday, one of my fellow PCVs in my village put together a tour of stakeholders for all of the PCVs in my region. This was something that we had been trying to put in motion for weeks, even prior to getting to site. The goal was to meet with government agencies and organizations to introduce ourselves and to get a feel of how we might be able to assist them in what they do. So starting Tuesday morning I set out with plenty of time to meet everyone at the regional education center and that’s where this story starts. After catching one taxi, being dropped off at the wrong education center, walking 10 minutes back to a main road to catch a new taxi, and ultimately being 15 minutes late, I finally reached the correct place. Our tour started there, where we met with the individuals working at the regional education level. Next, we moved on to Hope Worldwide, the NGO next door to my office which works with providing education and support for orphans and vulnerable children in the village. We then stopped by my office where I gave the presentation to the other PCVs about what we do and where we could collaborate. Then on to Tebepolele, an organization that provides free counseling and HIV testing, including a mobile unit to reach smaller villages in the region. We made a quick stop at the main kgotla where activities were happening in recognition of World AIDS Day. Lastly, we stopped at the regional office for Social and Community Development. All in all the day was a great success meeting my basic need of wanting to simply have a formal introduction with all of these offices.

Wednesday and Thursday I spent in the capital at a GLOW (Girls and Guys leading our World) Camp being led by Women Against Rape (WAR) and the PCV who is assigned to the organization. The organization does similar things to mine but is based in the northern part of the country in Maun. I was lucky enough to shadow the volunteer that works there about 2 months back and she invited me to come out for a couple days of the camp. It was a great couple of days. The organization staff and other PCVs helping out led sessions ranging from violence against women, gender and power, and STIs for a group of 31 junior secondary students. My last day even ended with me in charge of the condom balloon toss station for a scavenger hunt for the kids!

Finally on Friday, I came home and led 2 focus groups with the girls enrolled in my organizations projects to get a better idea of the needs of the community as perceived by youth. For those interested, issues surrounding poverty, alcohol and drug abuse, and orphans were some of the top issues brought up in both groups.

My office just closed for the holidays, so for the next few weeks I will probably be spending most of my time walking around and going to cultural events. Then come January my schedule should be pretty booked again.

I hope that everyone is enjoying the holiday season! Oh, and a shout out to my MI friends who sent me my very first package…It was great! Thanks so much!