It has gotten very hot as we roll into summer. When it first started getting warmer, the nights remained cool. Not anymore- it is already in the mid to high 70’s as we walk to work at 7AM and it is still in the mid to high 80’s when we get home around 5PM. At night, we have to lay on top of the covers with the fan on us. I am told that when the rains arrive around December, it will cool down a bit.
Tuesday was Botswana Independence Day so there was no work. Richard and I went to Etsha 6 to help with a 4km marathon for Men’s Sector. Afterwards, Richard and I hung at with a couple of the PCV’s who were also helping with the event. In many of the smaller villages, everyone meets at the kgotla in the morning on Independence Day for speeches, traditional dancing, and food. Later in the day, everyone parties and there are small bonfires. I am told that in the larger cities, there are bigger festivities, as well as fireworks. The day after Independence Day was also a public holiday so there was no work that day either.
There have been wildfires burning in our area. You can see the giant clouds of smoke from our village. There are no organized fire departments/volunteers here so when there are fires, all able bodied citizens (men and women) are expected to help fight the flames. On Monday, there were very few people at work since it was the day before a two day holiday, but the ones who were there were called away to help fight the fire.
On Saturday, Richard and I went with another DMSAC member to Qangwa and Xai-Xai in the western part of our district, near the Namibian border, to meet with the Village Development Committees and the VMSACs about setting about a Health/AIDS fair on November 1. The only way to get out there is by a 120 km gravel road. Both villages are mostly composed of San and Herero peoples and there is no cell phone reception or electricity. We did get to see the Aha Hills which are beautiful rolling hills in the middle of the flatness of the desert. There are supposed to be some impressive caves in the area, which we hopefully get to see in the future.
An account of our time in the Peace Corps in Botswana
About Us
- Richard and Stacy
- New York, NY
- Richard and Stacy have been married since June 2003. They will be serving in the Peace Corps in Botswana from June 2008-June 2010 (with in country training from April - June 2008). Richard's assignment is working with a District AIDS Coordinator and Stacy's assignment is Community Capacity Building for HIV/AIDS Project in Home-based Care and Orphan Care/Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission.
LINKS OF INTEREST
About Botswana and the Peace Corps
According to the BBC's country profile, "Botswana, one of Africa's most stable countries, is the continent's longest continuous multi-party democracy. It is relatively free of corruption and has a good human rights record. It is also the world's larger producer of diamonds and the trade has transformed it into a middle-income nation. Botswana is trying to reduce its economic dependence on diamonds. Safari-based tourism- tightly-controlled and often upmarket- is an important source of income."
Independence: 1966 (there has been four decades of
uninterrupted civilian rule since)
Capital: Gabarone
President: Khama
Population: 1.9 million (UN, 2007)
Area: 224,607 sq. miles (slightly smaller than Texas)
Major languages: English (official), Setswana
Life expectancy: 40 years (UNAIDS, 2007)
Literacy Rate: 81 percent (CIA Factbook)
According to the CIA Factbook, "Botswana has maintained one of the world's highest economic growth rates since independence in 1966, though growth slowed to 4.7% in 2006-2007. On the downside, the government must deal with high rates of unemployment and poverty. HIV/AIDS infections are the second highest in the world and threaten Botswana's impressive economic gains."
According to PEPFAR, which Includes Botswana as one of its 15 focus countries, "At the household level, families face increasing health expenditures to meet the needs of family members with HIV/AIDS. At the same time, they are experiencing loss of income as productive family members become sick and die. Botswana's workforce is being depleted as many productive adults develop AIDS and are no longer able to work. Between 1999 and 2005, Botswana lost approximately 17 percent of its health care workforce due to AIDS and by 2020 the loss in agricultural labor force could be more than 20 percent. High levels of HIV/AIDS among teachers reduces both the quality of education and the number of hours taught. School enrollment is expected to fall as children drop out of school to care for sick family members, to contribute to household income, or become too sick to attend school. Finally, stigma continues to be an issue that needs to be addressed."
National HIV prevalence rate among adults (15 - 49): 24.1%
Adults and children (0 - 49) living with HIV in 2005: 270,000
AIDS deaths in 2005: 18,000
AIDS orphans at the end of 2005: 120,000
According to the Peace Corps website, Peace Corps started working in Botswana in 1966, but closed the program in 1997 due to the country's economic success. "However, in 1998, the government declared HIV/AIDS a national crisis, and President Mogae dedicated his first five years in office to fighting HIV/AIDS, poverty, and unemployment. The government of Botswana has enlisted the aid of civil society, international agencies, governments, and volunteer organizations to help the Botswana people address the HIV/AIDS pandemic. In 2003, Peace Corps returned to Botswana. Currently volunteers are:
-Helping build capacity at the district and village levels in HIV/AIDS service organizations
-Assisting in mainstreaming HIV/AIDS prevention activities into development projects
-Providing technical assistance to the government's home-based and orphan care programs
-Helping to promote the prevention of mother-to-child transmission in four selected districts
Disclaimer:
The views/contents included on this website are solely that of Richard Rain and Stacy Wallick. It does not reflect the position or views of the U.S. government, the Peace Corps, or any other persons and organizations.