I’ve been in Gaborone for almost a month now and I must say that I am settling in nicely. I’m really enjoying my placement at Somarelang Tikologo (ST) and with the official launch of the Ecological Park coming up at the end of the month I’m finding that I have lots of work to do. It’s sunny now, but it was raining for a lot of January. And when it rains here it really rains!
Thus far my job description for my position at ST has been very accurate and I have been involved in various tasks and projects related to public relations and fundraising. One of the first things I needed to do was follow up on some of the proposals that had been sent by the previous volunteer Vanessa. I have had a bit of trouble contacting a couple of them because of language barriers (which are much more apparent on the phone it seems!) but I’m still trying. I know now that I’m here that things move slowly, and I understand what the people at WUSC mean when they say that it is hard to really accomplish a lot with such a short placement. This is why I am so glad that we as interns have the opportunity to pass on work reports to future volunteers so that they can pick up where we left off.
One of these projects I am focusing on particularly is trying to get ST a company vehicle. ST operates many environmental education and recycling programs and it is difficult to transport staff, volunteers and tools, especially to places outside of Gaborone, without access to a vehicle. I’m going to try and make it my personal mission to remedy this problem by writing proposals to both embassies and corporations in and outside of Botswana.
I am also involved in the planning and coordination of the eco-park launch as well as a green fashion show taking place the night afterwards. This entails the creation of communications material such as adverts for the Fashion show and the programme for the launch. Additionally I have held meetings with various sponsors and donors who are also involved in the launch.
On the social front I really like the other WUSC students. I live with two girls who are great and there are also several other students placed out of town who come to visit on weekends. We went and spent last weekend at Mokolodi nature reserve and had a fantastic time. I also really enjoy my co-workers company and everyone is really nice.
For those who are coming for the next placements, look forward to Legwinya (fatcakes) which is basically delicious deep fried bread and riding the combi (my two favorites).
I’ve included a picture of the view from my office on a rainy day. Yes that is a chicken poking around. They are very difficult to get rid of!
Write soon

-Erin

I am a 5th year Bachelor of Arts candidate at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, B.C. I’m majoring in Communication and also completing a French language certificate. As a co-op student, completing my B.A. is taking a bit longer than usual but I’m really enjoying all of the opportunities I’ve had since joining the co-op program. The SWB program is by far the most exiting of them all.
Both of my previous co-op placements have been with outdoor theatre organizations in Vancouver, which I have thoroughly enjoyed, but I am ready to diversify and internationalize my skill set in Botswana.
My reasoning for having chosen to take part in a Students Without Borders placement in Botswana is that I absolutely love this area of the world and I love travel but don’t really like being a tourist. I was in South Africa in April of this year and I felt I wasn’t there long enough to get a real feel for the daily life there. This is why I am so excited for my placement with Somarelang Tikologo (ST). Not only will I be helping advance the mandate of an extremely worthy organization, but I will be able to build working relationships with people from the WUSC team as well as those who are living in Gaborone!
I will be volunteering in the Public Relations and Fundraising sector of ST. From what I understand this will entail writing grant proposals and researching possible funding options, as well as creating communications material and planning events. When I return to Canada I will be pursuing a career in this area, making the ST placement a perfect fit for my goals.
My hopes are that I can make a visible difference for ST either by producing significant funding increases, be they corporate or individual donations as well as to use the skill set I have gained through my communication courses in order to produce effect public relations products.
I assume that my first task will be to educate myself on everything that ST does. I have already started this process by thoroughly researching the website. There is so much to learn and I’m hoping that this will give me a head start.
This is so exciting for me. I’m also holding an event prior to departure in order to raise funds for my placement. The planning of the event itself has been a learning experience and I am gaining so much practice in the area of event planning. I can’t wait to apply it in Botswana.
Finally I thought I should add that I have been listening to a lot of South African music lately (Kwaito, Gospel, Traditional etc.), and I know I’m going to find so many more good tunes in Botswana. Sweet!

-Erin