Things are still going well as we continue the community integration process and get a better sense of the work we will be doing for the next two years. We finally had the opportunity to go around to the schools and be introduced. There are three primary schools and one secondary school in Gumare. Since there are only a few secondary schools in the district, the secondary school in Gumare also serves the surrounding villages and has a hostel to board students from the more outlying areas. It seems there is some good work to be done with the schools so we will be meeting one on one with the guidance counselors in the next few weeks. We were also introduced at the primary hospital, which is the only hospital in the district. Currently, the primary hospital in Gumare and a clinic in Shakawe distribute ARVs for the district and blood for CD4/viral load counts are sent to the lab at the Gumare primary hospital.

My birthday was very nice- I appreciated all the Happy Birthday messages I received. Since there was a DMSAC (District Multi-sectoral AIDS Committee, which meets quarterly) meeting that day, I got to see a few of the other Peace Corps volunteers in the area. One of the volunteers Joe even baked me a chocolate birthday cake. Since there are only a handful of volunteers, besides Richard and myself, in the Okavango Delta region, we call ourselves the “Delta Force.”

The end of last week kicked off the start of the Men’s Sector in Gumare. There was a “beauty contest” for men, as well as football (soccer) tournaments, horse racing, and a party. There was a formal kick-off for the Men Sector at the kgotla early Saturday morning, which we attended. A lot of important members of the community turned out to show their support, which is very positive.

We made our first day trip into Maun to buy our “specialty” groceries. Maun has 5 different supermarkets to choose from and their goods give us much happiness. We made sure to stock up on cheese because we have been making our own pizza. Luckily, there are two take-away places in Gumare so we do get to “eat out” every once in awhile. The one take-away we like serves fish (fresh since we are near the only “body” of water in Botswana), as well as the staples, such as chicken, beans, rice, madombe (boiled bread), papa (maize meal), and chips (french fries). While in Maun, we had also a chance to meet up with the Peace Corps volunteers who live there.

We finally named our new puppy. We call her Peba, which means rat in Setswana. We call her this because her tail looks very rat like. We have also officially taken in two other dogs, a male named Buster and a female named Lady so we already have three dogs within the first month of site. We have also been promised a kitten from a volunteer in Maun who has a pregnant cat.

Saturday-Tuesday was a four day weekend for us. Presidents Day was on Monday, followed by another extra day off (public holiday) on Tuesday. It gave us a chance to relax and thoroughly clean. Since everything is dirt/sand, it is a constant struggle to keep oneself, as well as one’s clothes and house clean. Everything is always covered in a layer of dirt/sand. When we wash our clothes (by hand), the water in our wash basin always turns brown. We have to sweep our house almost everyday because sand is always getting dragged in. There is only one paved street in Gumare, so we walk mainly on sandy paths where the sand can get quite hard to walk in because it is deep in some places. The sand in Gumare actually reminds me of the sand at the Jersey shore because it is the same color and consistency.

Settling In

Richard and I have been busy settling in and getting to know our community. We have been walking around and introducing ourselves in our free time. Richard and I managed to find a poultry farm a mile outside town. There, we can buy fresh chicken fairly cheap.
We also added to our pack of dogs. The newest member of our pack is a 8 week old puppy who has yet to be named.

Last Saturday, I was invited to baby shower, which was a nice opportunity to get to know some people from the Rural Administration Center (RAC) where I work. When a woman goes to a baby shower here, she is supposed to bring the present wrapped in a cloth diaper. That way the expectant mother has a supply of diapers when the baby is born (although disposable diapers are readily available and often used). When opening the gifts, the expectant mother has to guess who brought each one. Finally, after the gifts are opened, all the women at the baby shower offer the expectant mother advice and words of wisdom.

On Monday, Richard left for a workshop on HIV prevention in Francistown (2nd largest city) sponsored by NACA (National AIDS Coordinating Agency). There, he got a chance to see some of the other Peace Corps DACs from the region. He returned on Thursday night. I stayed in Gumare to work this week. I am getting a better sense of what S&CD (Social and Community Development office) does at the district level, compared to the community level. I’ve been able to meet most of the social workers who work within our district. In my office, we deal strictly with administering orphan care for the district, while the community social workers deal with all issues, including orphans, destitutes, needy students, home based care, home economics, etc.

This week the Home Economics officer asked me for help with the district craft show, which is going to be in Gumare on August 2. Okavango is known for its crafts, especially baskets. For the show, I am working on publicity, which includes making and distributing fliers, creating a show program, making business cards for the artists, etc. Richard is currently working on the newly formed committee to establish a Mens Sector in Gumare. There is going to be a soccer tournament and horse race next weekend to encourage HIV testing for men.

We finally have a new a post office box:

Richard Rain and/or Stacy Wallick
P.O. Box 546
Gumare, Botswana