Wednesday 13 March 2013

Motho Ke Motho Ka Botho

I will be presenting tomorrow to my colleagues in Health Canada on some of my learnings from my year volunteering in Botswana.  I did a trial run with my small work team last week, and am excited to share my experiences with a broader audience. 

There is a saying in Setswana, "Motho Ke Motho Ka Botho" that roughly means "you are what you are because of other people", and I want to acknowledge that I was able to experience all that I did in Botswana because of the people here who allowed me to do so, by granting me a leave and covering my workload.  This is my way of saying, "Look what I was able to learn and achieve because of your support"...and to demonstrate that I did more on my year away than have pool parties and go on safari -- haha !

I will be presenting again next week to the Edmonton Branch of the United Nations Association in Canada, and again in May, to the Health Canada Human Resources Team.  Each presentation gives me a chance to focus on a different angle of my work in Botswana.

I am curious to know what kinds of questions people will have !