Heading home…
Posted by Amanda Donohoe on August 26th, 2010
As I am sure my other WUSC volunteer friends are saying in their blogs, the time has really gone by too quickly here in Botswana. I am currently finishing my last week of work here at the Light and Courage Centre Trust (LCCT) and am busy trying to plan the two weeks of travel to Namibia and South Africa that are coming up for me and some WUSC friends. We truly had a great group of volunteers here this summer/winter, and I am glad to have met both them and our great supervisors from the Botswana WUSC office in Gaborone. They all made the trip just that much better, and I know we will continue to be in touch.
Work here at the LCCT has been extremely busy, and I have had so many new projects and activities on the go that many of my initial priorities and projects have been left behind. It is a challenging time for the organization as I have mentioned, with the impending closeout of their primary donor coming up in just a few weeks. Although I have not been able to work directly with the clients and caregivers here at the LCCT as much as I would have liked, I am glad to say that I at least feel like I was able to contribute my skills and assistance to the people at the centre during my time here. I have also gained so much from my time here, and I walk away now with new skills and a learning experience about development work and non-governmental organizations that I was unable to glean from years of lectures and coursework on the topics. The challenges NGOs face, both internally and from the world around them, are immense, and I now feel like I have a tiny idea about what kind of people and attitudes are needed to run successful organizations that really make an impact on their communities.
I am not ready to leave Botswana or my placement, and I wish that I had more time to spend with the people I have met and to see more of the country that has treated me so well. It really has been fun, and weekends for the last two months have been full of travels to different parts of the country, volunteering time in town with orphan programs, and braais (Barbeques) with new friends from Botswana and around the world. Work has been challenging at times but also fulfilling, and I am honestly not looking forward to heading back to school and hitting the books…something I normally enjoy!
In the end all I can hope it that I was able to help my organization while I was here, and that the friends I have made will remain a part of my life in the years to come.
Thanks for reading,
Amanda
