Botswana- Mid Placement Post May 5/08
Posted by Trista on July 3rd, 2008
We have finally completed our week of orientation here in Gaborone (local slang=Gabs). I have already learned so much in our short time here.
One huge realization I have come to here- which I am sure you will hear me talk about upon my return to Canada- is the fact that many of us in the “Western” world tend to think of Africa as one country- when in fact is it a continent filled with many unique and quite diverse countries- all with different customs, languages, economies, etc. Back at home we are used to seeing the same images over and over of “Africa”- usually negative images about the amount of poverty, of starving children, and dying people. I am not trying to argue that extreme levels of poverty don’t exist in Africa- but we must be cautious as to how we label the continent. Botswana for instance has many educated people, a growing and healthy economy- one that is shared with the citizens and lots of food (as we are learning after eating big and starchy meals every day!). So next time you see an image of Africa on tv or in the newspaper take note of what African COUNTRY is being depicted.
I don’t think I realized how ignorant I have been to the HIV/AIDS pandemic until quite recently. A courageous and strong woman came to tell us her personal story of living with HIV and AIDs and the stigma she has experienced from family and friends after revealing her status. Simple things such as people not wanting to use the same bathtub as her or the same cutlery in fear of catching the virus. The virus cannot live outside the body and is transmitted mainly through blood and vaingal fluids or semen- so these are unfounded fears many people have. I suppose the low low prevalence rate of HIV in Canada has contributed to my ignorance of the pandemic- after all knowledge is power and ignorance hinders the acquistion of knowledge.
Today we had our first half day at our placement where we will be for the next three weeks. Myself and four other students are located in a village called Macchudi, which is about an hour commute outside the capital city (where we are all living). We are working at BOFWA, which stands for the Botswana Family Welfare Association. The clinic we are working at provides youth-friendly services to (quite obviously) youth in the community. Botswana youth are a major target group for the prevention of HIV since approximately 37% of the population infected by HIV are in the age range of 10-49. BOFWA provides such services as voluntary counselling and testing (or VCT- you will learn along with myself that acronyms are huge in the HIV/AIDS world), STI testing and treatment, contraception education, peer education and recreational activities (such as board games, pool, ping pong and basketball). All in all they provide the youth with sexually reproductive health (SRH)education.
Yesterday we had the pleasure of acquainting ourselves with the public transport system- very different from Canadian public transport! First of all we get on a combi (similar to a minibus-van type vehicle) and take this to the bus station, where we cross a long and crowded bridge then hop on a bus to Macchudi. From there we walk to the BOFWA centre. This commute coupled with work starting around 8 makes for a very early morning for the five of us (as I’m sure we will find out tomorrow when we start work!)
Today we had a meeting with the chief executive director and other board members of BOFWA here in the capital city to determine what it is we will be doing in the next three weeks. We were also able to see the voulantry counselling and testing centre at that location. The counsellor was showing us an HIV test- here they have rapid tests where one pricks their finger, and places blood on a stick- one line means they are negative and two means they are positive. While standing in the room a wave of butterflies appeared in my stomach- now I was not even getting an HIV test, nor am I worried about my status but I still got extremely nervous. After talking to the other students in the room they told me they felt the same types of anxieties- we can only imagine what it would actually be like for a young person to be taking this test- with the prevalence rate and chances of them being positive much higher than in Canada.
All of the projects we will be working on involve a tangible end product. The five main ones that we will be working on in the coming weeks are building a car shade for the parking lot (basically a huge umbrella like structure for the cars to park under to protect them from the hot Botswana sun), organizing the medical storage cupboard, coming up with a way to display Pledge 25 members, organizing a workshop in which we will present an SRH message in a creative and motivational way to a local high school. Finally the project I will be overseeing along with a local volunteer is painting of the wall in the games room with strong, easily internalized and influential SRH messages. All in all I am sure as you can see we have a lot to keep us busy and to accomplish in the next 17 work days!!
Oh Pledge 25- I should probably explain is a pledge that youth make to donate blood 3-4 times a year until at least the age of 25. This is coupled with a pledge to remain HIV negative (which of course you must be in order to donate blood) and to recruit other members of your community to join the pledge. They hope to have over 2000 youth join this pledge by the end of the year. We learned today that about 140 joined last month alone- so they are well on their way to accomplishing this goal.
I hope in the coming weeks that I can learn more about and immerse myself further into the wonderful culture of Botswana by getting to know the youth who use the services provided by BOFWA. I know that the people I have met and will meet, as well as the country itself, will have a long-lasting and emotional impact on myself (which I can already feel happening)…I only hope I can leave my mark (no matter what size it is) on the organization and/or the people I will be working with.
