Dumelang
It has been some time since I have written anything on the blog; sorry to those of you that has been trying to keep up with our lives here in Botswana. For one, can you believe that we have been gone for 6 months already, where has the time gone? Its funny because the days seem very long at times but weeks and then months go by faster than the spiders around our house.
In any case, things are good. Work has been slower than I originally thought because I have been mainly in the office trying to understand everything that takes place at the district level. Now that I understand the ropes and some of the challenges that go along with working on HIV/AIDS in Botswana, I am starting to meander out to some of the nearby clinics in hopes of gaining a further understanding to clinic level successes and complexities. I have gained the trust with some people, which is quite a challenge in itself, but now I am hoping to combine the office knowledge gained with on the ground clinical issues and try and implement some things in the community. All too often, many activities are planned and talked about regularly but are simply not implemented for a number of reasons. My main goal for now is to get people to start talking opening about the disease (which includes talking about the very taboo subject of SEX) and recognize the importance of prevention.
The vast majority of aid money that has come pouring into Botswana has been allocated for treatment alone, which is great because people are living much longer. On a side note, I could not imagine working in a country that still does not provide ARVs to their citizen, mostly due to American pharmaceutical patent laws. It would be truly devastating to see people die on a daily basis, knowing that there is a medicine out there to help people survive longer. Working in Botswana would almost be unbearable if their where no ARVs. In the 90s weekends were filled with funerals and it is truly unbelievable there still countries out there that have to just accept this fate. In fact, Botswana supplies anyone positive with a CD4 count less than 250 free ARV’s, the first country in the world to do so. This is possible because of the limited number of Batswana (population 1.7 million). Moreover, in focusing all efforts on treatment, prevention measures have been forgotten until now. The government has new priorities and has established prevention as the key to success.
More to come on specific projects as they develop but things are slowly getting into the pipeline and hopefully we can make a difference with a select few. Changing one’s behavior in any country takes ample time, and in a country with rich cultural traditions like Botswana, it will take a whole generation.
Speaking of generations, there is a whole sub-set of the population, children, growing up with no parents because of the impact HIV/AIDS has had on Botswana. Most of these children end up with one relative or another and generally, because they are orphaned, are not treated equally amongst the family. The government does offer some assistance with food baskets (they are lucky if they get the food) but overall, these 10 year olds are not loved and care for themselves and their younger siblings if they have any. Imagine collecting water, hand-washing clothes, cooking if you have food, and caring for yourself at 10 years old. There is no time to play make believe house, like so many of us enjoyed as children. Furthermore, many have no clothes or shoes; therefore can’t go to school, which compounds the problem. It really hit home a few weeks ago when our neighbor invited us over to see her house. Here’s the reality and her story.
Her name is Ellen, a stocky 10 year old, with a shaved head and a beautiful voice. She always comes by the house collecting water and we have gotten quite close with her. At first she was shy and just curious about us, saying dumela and asking for the occasional sweet or lemon growing on the tree. As she became more comfortable we started asking more and more questions to figure out her story because some days she would go to school, some days not. We would see her one-day then she would be gone for weeks at a time. Basically a sweet, innocent little girl but you could tell she was strong beyond her years and there was something more to her short life. It is evident if you could see her biceps and thighs from collecting water a few times a day. Three five-gallon jugs at a time in a wheelbarrow, truly amazing.
She lives on a family compound directly next to us. We still do not know who’s compound it is as she says her mom is gone at the lands and hasn’t returned since august and her dad is apparently in Gaborone. I think it is a cousin’s compound, fit with one house and one roundavol (traditional thatched round house). She doesn’t stay inside the house with everyone, she stays in the roundie by herself. It consists on a foam mattress and a few boxes. The people that stay in the house rarely give her food so she scrapes what she can get and hopefully goes to school to get a meal there. I asked her how she eats and all she can say is “ they spend the money on alcohol!”
One day last week she came by while I was watering my garden, damn it’s tough to have a hose out while this little girl carts water back home, but there is fortunately water on our compound. She came by like she does everyday but this time something was obviously wrong, no smile, no singing at the top her lungs and no Dumela. She had a fat lip because someone on the compound beat her for who knows what.
You probably get the story but in any case, this circumstance is all too familiar in Botswana. Many of the children are being helped but too many are not or the efforts fall short. We are trying to get her assistance from the government and have found a used pair of shoes from Laura’s school that are a bit too big but hopefully it will allow her to go to school freely where she can continue to learn and grow and simply eat. She was so delighted today when I gave her the shoes; hopefully this will allow her to go to school everyday and not care for the counsin’s new born while she is out at the local shabeen (compounds that sell traditional beer).
Ellen is resilient, like many children in Botswana and Africa as a whole. Most days she has a wide smile and can sing with the best of them. You always know when she is around because she belts local songs out as loud as the radio next door. While many Botswana lack compassion for the destitutes, they are perhaps the one’s that can change Botswana once and for all. A country free of HIV, a generation with the knowledge and skills to eliminate such a disease means the next generation, their kids, will have someone to put food on the table and someone to tuck them in at night.
17 November 2009
10 October 2009
Happiness Comes in Many Forms
I feel like to often I hear from people that we are not happy and that we are struggling here. I really want to set this straight and talk about it.
Is life here an effort and it is it hard for us to adjust, accept and understand what is going on in around us- yes, without a doubt. But traveling for 6 weeks at a time, like we do every summer is also a challenge, and we still have chosen to make it a huge part of our life. It is nice to actually look deeper into a place rather than just a romanticized view through a month long journey. We are happy and at this point, this is where we are in life and this is what we are meant to be doing. We are surrounded by amazing people, both PCV’s and Batswana, that look out for us and care deeply about whether or not we like their country and that we learn more about their country. We knew what we were signing up for when we joined the Peace Corps. Is it exactly what we expected or wanted- no. But we should have known better than to have expectations. However, we are happy and we love what we are doing.
In all reality, this is no more challenging than what I did in the South Bronx for ten years. I have not seen anything worse or more devastating here, this is just compounded by the fact that I have stepped completely out my norms and I am trying to navigate in a completely foreign world.
I need people to understand that when we vent in this blog, we are venting, as we hope we can confide in you as we would an email. This is just an easier way for us to communicate with mass people and not have to write many emails. These are truly just our opinions based on our very minimal interactions and they are purely anecdotal and should be taken as such. We do not want you to only communicate negative stories to your friends. We would love for you to extract the good that you are reading and communicate those stories. Africa and her people are amazing and we are happy to be welcomed here and able to learn and grow from this country. I would hate to think that we are contributing to all the negatives images that already flood the media about Africa.
So enough rambling but please help us in succeeding in one of our biggest goals: that by living here and learning about Botswana and Africa, we will show Americans that Africa is more then the negative images we see and hear about. It is a beautiful, magnificent and rich place both environmentally and spiritually but also culturally.
Is life here an effort and it is it hard for us to adjust, accept and understand what is going on in around us- yes, without a doubt. But traveling for 6 weeks at a time, like we do every summer is also a challenge, and we still have chosen to make it a huge part of our life. It is nice to actually look deeper into a place rather than just a romanticized view through a month long journey. We are happy and at this point, this is where we are in life and this is what we are meant to be doing. We are surrounded by amazing people, both PCV’s and Batswana, that look out for us and care deeply about whether or not we like their country and that we learn more about their country. We knew what we were signing up for when we joined the Peace Corps. Is it exactly what we expected or wanted- no. But we should have known better than to have expectations. However, we are happy and we love what we are doing.
In all reality, this is no more challenging than what I did in the South Bronx for ten years. I have not seen anything worse or more devastating here, this is just compounded by the fact that I have stepped completely out my norms and I am trying to navigate in a completely foreign world.
I need people to understand that when we vent in this blog, we are venting, as we hope we can confide in you as we would an email. This is just an easier way for us to communicate with mass people and not have to write many emails. These are truly just our opinions based on our very minimal interactions and they are purely anecdotal and should be taken as such. We do not want you to only communicate negative stories to your friends. We would love for you to extract the good that you are reading and communicate those stories. Africa and her people are amazing and we are happy to be welcomed here and able to learn and grow from this country. I would hate to think that we are contributing to all the negatives images that already flood the media about Africa.
So enough rambling but please help us in succeeding in one of our biggest goals: that by living here and learning about Botswana and Africa, we will show Americans that Africa is more then the negative images we see and hear about. It is a beautiful, magnificent and rich place both environmentally and spiritually but also culturally.
Donkey Carts and Benzo’s
Botswana is often considered a success story in Africa, with a functioning democracy and an infrastructure capable of caring for the 1.7 million people that live in this vast country. Despite HIV/AIDS sweeping through and threatening to destroy the entire country, Botswana has remained peaceful in its’ 43 years of independence. With the proximity to South Africa and its’ rich mineral and diamond deposits, the country has grown from a developing country to middle income in a relative short amount of time. Has this hurt or helped the country? I still cant get my head around it as the disparity between rich and poor is tremendous, or should I just say money or NO money in this case.
A few days ago I went to one of the five hardware stores in our village to buy some chicken mesh to protect my garden from the hens and roosters on our compound. I wish I had my camera because as I walked up there was a donkey cart with four donkeys parked next to a Mercedes Benz, a 500 series at that. It is a striking contrast and one seen quite often unless you live in a very rural village.
There are loads of donkey carts all over Botswana. They are used mainly for collecting water and firewood, the two most important items for much of the population. Hence, there is generally no power or water on many compounds either because it is too expensive or simply no means. We have both, and hot water as well, but many neighbors and surrounding places survive with the bare minimum, a single hut with a clothesline in some cases. Working to live is a common practice for much of the Batswana.
While some work to live, and work extremely hard, others hardly work or have cushy government office jobs and have the fancy accessories in life- a nice car, nice clothes, and they get to send their kids to fancy private schools.
If you have a ‘real’ job in Botswana, most likely you are working for the government in one fashion or another. At my workplace, the District Health Team, the Ministry of Local Government employs everyone, while teachers are with the Ministry of Education and so on. There are Ministries for every sector. Don’t ask me why the health team is not under the Ministry of Health instead associated with Local Government, I may never know that answer, but in any case, you work for the government. In most cases, they even supply your house, different colors depending on which sector you work for. At my office, even toilet paper is passed around once or twice a month for people to take home.
Let me touch on the workplace just a little. First, I don’t want it sound like NO ONE is working. In fact, my counterpart and countless others produce monthly reports and maintain a busy district office. There are people, both up top and on the ground doing great things, or else the country would crash, but a many of the working peeps simply don’t produce work.
I have witnessed people leave meetings regularly if they show, say they did things when they actually haven’t, and falsified data simply because a report was due. I don’t know if the latter is a common practice but once was enough for me. Moreover, there is no accountability for doing these things. The culture isn’t one to reprimand and demand things, therefore; it is easy to be unmotivated and laissez-faire. We literally find ourselves staring and uncomfortable when we see someone raise their voice. Quite a change from loud, vocal NYC. If you accomplish one thing per week and are around the workplace from 7:30 – 4:30 all is well.
Coming from a country, in which I would argue we work too much, it is still very difficult getting used to this work environment. It is important as a foreigner to understand that things will take longer regardless of the situation. On top of an already relaxed work environment, you’re bound to come up against obstacles that are out of your control. There may be no transport one day, computers are down (if you have them at all), or crash from the viruses inundated on every computer, or another meeting or workshop is taking place at last minute. Weeks are filled with workshop after workshops and you never really know if they are useful because people don’t necessarily report about them.
Anyways, these are a few complexities that all volunteers must deal with and hopefully figure out a way to motivate themselves and the ones that need it, regardless of the obstacles.
A workshop on organization skills and/or team building is necessary and needed, even if they have previously tried. A refresher of sorts because it doesn’t matter if you are working with HIVAIDS, TB, and environmental health; as health inspectors, nurses, doctors, health educators, administrators, typists, cleaners and drivers, noticeable change starts from within.
The learning curve for me personally and of the country as a whole has been slow but very good considering the age of this nation. My co-workers have been nothing but welcoming and great. I am learning a lot just being there and finding my place from within. I constantly think of new things that could be done and how to accomplish them and the list is quite long. Over time, I am sure it will narrow down and I will be able to focus on several particular issues.
The above was written some time ago (over a month) but never posted and as the list is ever growing, both Laura and I have started to focus on some key issues both at the clinics and in the schools. Also, we are working on some things to start in our ward with out- of- school youths, as there are way too many children not in school for one reason or another. I will elaborate more on this as things develop as I am sure some of you would like to know specifics as to what we are doing but for now, I need to get to work. My ride is here, I think I will take the donkey cart!
A few days ago I went to one of the five hardware stores in our village to buy some chicken mesh to protect my garden from the hens and roosters on our compound. I wish I had my camera because as I walked up there was a donkey cart with four donkeys parked next to a Mercedes Benz, a 500 series at that. It is a striking contrast and one seen quite often unless you live in a very rural village.
There are loads of donkey carts all over Botswana. They are used mainly for collecting water and firewood, the two most important items for much of the population. Hence, there is generally no power or water on many compounds either because it is too expensive or simply no means. We have both, and hot water as well, but many neighbors and surrounding places survive with the bare minimum, a single hut with a clothesline in some cases. Working to live is a common practice for much of the Batswana.
While some work to live, and work extremely hard, others hardly work or have cushy government office jobs and have the fancy accessories in life- a nice car, nice clothes, and they get to send their kids to fancy private schools.
If you have a ‘real’ job in Botswana, most likely you are working for the government in one fashion or another. At my workplace, the District Health Team, the Ministry of Local Government employs everyone, while teachers are with the Ministry of Education and so on. There are Ministries for every sector. Don’t ask me why the health team is not under the Ministry of Health instead associated with Local Government, I may never know that answer, but in any case, you work for the government. In most cases, they even supply your house, different colors depending on which sector you work for. At my office, even toilet paper is passed around once or twice a month for people to take home.
Let me touch on the workplace just a little. First, I don’t want it sound like NO ONE is working. In fact, my counterpart and countless others produce monthly reports and maintain a busy district office. There are people, both up top and on the ground doing great things, or else the country would crash, but a many of the working peeps simply don’t produce work.
I have witnessed people leave meetings regularly if they show, say they did things when they actually haven’t, and falsified data simply because a report was due. I don’t know if the latter is a common practice but once was enough for me. Moreover, there is no accountability for doing these things. The culture isn’t one to reprimand and demand things, therefore; it is easy to be unmotivated and laissez-faire. We literally find ourselves staring and uncomfortable when we see someone raise their voice. Quite a change from loud, vocal NYC. If you accomplish one thing per week and are around the workplace from 7:30 – 4:30 all is well.
Coming from a country, in which I would argue we work too much, it is still very difficult getting used to this work environment. It is important as a foreigner to understand that things will take longer regardless of the situation. On top of an already relaxed work environment, you’re bound to come up against obstacles that are out of your control. There may be no transport one day, computers are down (if you have them at all), or crash from the viruses inundated on every computer, or another meeting or workshop is taking place at last minute. Weeks are filled with workshop after workshops and you never really know if they are useful because people don’t necessarily report about them.
Anyways, these are a few complexities that all volunteers must deal with and hopefully figure out a way to motivate themselves and the ones that need it, regardless of the obstacles.
A workshop on organization skills and/or team building is necessary and needed, even if they have previously tried. A refresher of sorts because it doesn’t matter if you are working with HIVAIDS, TB, and environmental health; as health inspectors, nurses, doctors, health educators, administrators, typists, cleaners and drivers, noticeable change starts from within.
The learning curve for me personally and of the country as a whole has been slow but very good considering the age of this nation. My co-workers have been nothing but welcoming and great. I am learning a lot just being there and finding my place from within. I constantly think of new things that could be done and how to accomplish them and the list is quite long. Over time, I am sure it will narrow down and I will be able to focus on several particular issues.
The above was written some time ago (over a month) but never posted and as the list is ever growing, both Laura and I have started to focus on some key issues both at the clinics and in the schools. Also, we are working on some things to start in our ward with out- of- school youths, as there are way too many children not in school for one reason or another. I will elaborate more on this as things develop as I am sure some of you would like to know specifics as to what we are doing but for now, I need to get to work. My ride is here, I think I will take the donkey cart!
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