This is Why: Part II

There is a young lady who came to our office a few months ago to volunteer as an intern in our Finance Unit.  I will call her Rose. 

Rose is friendly and flirty and loves to sing.  She is also a hard worker, and one of the first to arrive at the office each morning.  

Recently, BOCAIP was able to bring Rose on staff in a casual position as an Accounts Clerk. 

In the morning devotions, Rose eagerly volunteers to read bible passages and lead the discussion sessions.  When we come to the part for prayer and thanksgiving requests, Rose often gives thanks for having BOCAIP in her life.

You see, Rose has grown up with BOCAIP in her life.

She was orphaned as a young girl, and attended BOCAIP’s teen club* in Molepolole.  It was a place she could call home, where she found guidance and a sense of direction.  She remembers performing in a dance troop for Mma Kwape and the BOCAIP board. 

So, when she had to find a placement for her college internship, she naturally thought of BOCAIP.

The other day, Rose shyly announced that she will graduate from her Finance Program this Friday.

Mma Kwape looked at her, and then to the rest of the staff, and said:

“This is why I still do what I do for BOCAIP.  It is young girls like Rose that keep me doing what I am doing.”

When Rose graduates, her BOCAIP family will be there to cheer her on.

*BOCAIP no longer has funding for a teen program in Molepolole, but continues to provide day care services and home visits for families with orphaned and vulnerable children under 6 years of age.

This is Why: Part I -- Update

Last week, Bonolo and I went to Ramotswa to visit the family I wrote about earlier.   

We stopped by the site of the fire to take photos to show potential donors and builders we hope to mobilize to rebuild the house. 

We visited with the two eldest children and their aunt, to give them the donations we had gathered from staff and contacts.   

They were very grateful to the strangers who had reached out to them, but disappointed that neighbours, colleagues, and the local social services had not yet stepped up to help them. 

The girl said something I won't soon forget: “Vision 2016* isn’t working for us.”  

Charred blankets outside the house.

Vision 2016 isn't seen so clearly through a window of debris.

I hope that will soon change.  

When we were exploring the remains of the house, a neighbour passed by to tell us that a village council (khotla) meeting had been called for the coming weekend to determine a community response to this family’s crisis.   

I have come to learn that in Botswana, when a crisis arises, it is normally expected that the extended family will pitch in. That might explain the slow community response. But what do you do when your extended family is no longer there for you? When we were visiting the family in the uncle's house, the children's aunt showed me a wall of photos of family members who had all recently passed on.  It made me wonder how Botswana, as a nation, carries on in the midst of so much grief...but maybe that is a topic for another post.

As for Vision 2016, I can’t say what will come from the national response to crises like this.  

The government provides material support for orphans and vulnerable children, such as help with school fees, food and clothes, but there is still a gap in the kind of psycho-social support that these kids need -- a gap that civil society organizations, like BOCAIP, are trying to fill. 

*Vision 2016 is Botswana's national development strategy, in commemoration of what will be Botswana's 50th anniverary of independence.  Seven key pillars or goals have been developed to achieve the strategy, including striving to become A Compassionate, Just and Caring Nation:

"By 2016, Botswana will have realized a more equitable income distribution that ensures that the majority of its people participate in economic activities. As a compassionate and caring nation, Batswana will have the poor and underprivileged considered in their daily activities. Poverty will be alleviated. Government, in a smart partnership with the private sector and non-governmental organizations, will provide social security to the elderly, the terminally ill, orphans and people with disabilities. By 2016, Batswana will have access to quality health facilities. Health facilities will be within a reasonable distance. Botswana will be prepared to deal with unexpected epidemics and any natural disasters. There will also be adequate nutrition, quality sanitation and adequate supply of clean drinking water. The spread of Human immuno-deficiency virus (HIV) that causes Acquired Immuno-deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), will be stopped. AIDS patients will have access to quality care in health facilities, in their community or workplace. "