A day in the life of a development worker

Thursday morning. I am writing a proposal to get funding to update our information technology and communications systems. Why we need these things will soon become apparent.

I need a quote from a contractor to include in the proposal's budget.

Plan of action: call the contractor, ask for quote.

Simple task, no ?

Pick up phone.

No dial tone.

I ask around, and discover I need a code to make calls. (I am just learning this now, as I have only used my cell phone for calls before, at my expense. It is getting to be too expensive to keep doing so.)

There is no code for me, but someone graciously offers to let me use theirs.

Pick up phone and make call.

I get a hold of the person responsible for orders, but the connection is bad and there seems to be a language barrier.

He asks me to send my request by email.

I can not do so.

Our email is down, yet again. (This is one of the things we are hoping to address through our funding request.)

We agree to meet to discuss the request in person.

I have to get across town.

Fortunately, our driver is on duty today. He will take me to the contractor's office later in the morning.

The driver takes me to an industrial part of town.

We can not find the office.

After a call to the contractor, we learn that Glick Auto Centre, the main part of their address, is now the Total Service Station. Ohhhh !

I meet with the contractor and get the quote I need.

He prints the quote for me.

I get back to the office, and take a closer look at the quote.

There is an oversight.

I call the contractor and ask him to send a corrected version.

Our email is still down, so I give him our fax number.

I wait by the fax machine.

The light is flashing.

We are out of toner.

I ask around to see where the toner is.

There is no toner.  (Maybe I should include a budget for toner in the proposal ?)

I go back to my office.

Thank goodness ! Our email is now working.

I send an email to the contractor, letting him know that our fax machine is down, but our internet is now up. Can he send the revised quote by email ?

The email message bounces back.

I call the contractor.

'Call back', I am told. 'He is away for lunch.'

I call back.

'Oh yes - that email address is not working. SMS me your email and I will send you the quote.'

I text him my email address.

He sends the amended quote from a different email address.

I include the quote in the proposal.  Finally !

I sure hope we get that funding !

The Wedding of Innocent and Karabo

It is 1:00 am. We gingerly side-step a tangle of kids and blankets, steps away from the carcass of a freshly slaughtered cow, then tip-toe down the concrete floor hallway, to the room at the back of the Mandigo family home in Francistown.

Lilian awakes as we enter the room, and indicates that she and her aunts and cousins had saved the bed for her sister Emmah and me. I unfurl my sleeping bag, step over the sleeping beauties, and fall asleep, banishing images of rats scuttling above my bedroom ceiling 400km away in my Gaborone house.

The next morning, wedding preparations are well underway. Orange scarves are dipped into vases that serve as table centre pieces. Carved chunks of cow are ferried to the back of the house for preparation for the feast.

We take a short drive to drop off some breakfast supplies to the bridal party staying at a nearby house. Little girls with intricately braided and beaded hair run through the living room, giving us a glimpse of the glamour to come.

Back at the Mandigo house, I make fast friends with 9 year-old cousins, Naledi and Ashley, once I show them how to apply Canadian maple leaf tattoos. There are none left for 12 year-old, Rachel, but I make up for it by lending her my camera to capture her perspective of the wedding proceedings.

The resounding ululations of the groom's aunties and grannies signal the arrival of the wedding party. The bride's family and groom's family then take part in a friendly sing-off, as the bridal party slowly dances down the aisle to the wedding tent. For the rest of the day, they never walk, but dance, whenever they enter or leave the tent.

This is the third of three wedding celebrations for Emmah's brother Innocent, and his bride Karabo. Karabo means 'Answer'.  Her answer is 'Yes' -- three times 'Yes'.

After speeches, readings, a catered feast, including freshly boiled and pounded seswa (beef from the butchered cow), and a photo session at the manicured grounds of a nearby hotel, the bridal party leaves to change their attire.

I am resting in the living room with the scarved and shawled aunties and grannies, when the bride in her second dress enters the room and sits down on the floor. The aunties and grannies leave their seats and sit on the floor, at the bride's feet. I glance over at Emmah, who is standing the corner, and silently ask if I should leave. She indicates, no.

I then witness what must be a time honoured tradition of dispensing advice to the new bride. Karabo is ceremoniously cloaked in a shawl and head-scarf, signifying her induction into the sorority of wives. She respectfully listens to the words of wisdom from each wife, which are seconded by cheers and ululations.

A bbq and dance follow through the night. I am too tired to take more than one bite of tasty grilled steak, before reclaiming my spot in the back bedroom.

Grace in Ebb and Flow

It has been ages since I glanced at a horoscope.  For some reason, I did recently, and found it to be somewhat apt for the changes I may be encountering:

Some people misunderstand the do-it-now fervor of the Aries tribe, thinking it must inevitably lead to carelessness. Please prove them wrong in the coming weeks. Launch into the interesting new possibilities with all your exuberance unfurled. Refuse to allow the natural energy to get hemmed in by theories and concepts. But also be sure not to mistake rash impatience for intuitive guidance. Consider the likelihood that your original vision of the future might need to be tinkered with a bit as you translate it into the concrete details.

Grace emerges in the ebb and flow, not just the flow. The waning reveals a different blessing than the waxing. Where are you in the great cycle of your life?

Friend Love

A package arrived today. My friends sent it about 4 weeks ago. I think they were hoping it would arrive in time for my birthday, at the end of March. Truth be told, I'm glad it was delayed.

This has been a week of lows (learning I may not have a job to return to; tension in the shared household) -- so the timing could not have been better for a box of friend love !




(an assorted collection of mixed cds, books, reading light, candy, tea, lotions, stationery, and ziploc baggies......things that are hard to find here)


I even took a moment to review encouraging comments they and other friends wrote in a journal  presented to me at my farewell party.  Now, I feel a little better.

Thanks, Guys !  --

Easter in Kasane - Part I: Michiko's Story

Kasane is in the North-eastern corner of Botswana, where Botswana meets Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe (BoNaZaZi) at the confluence of the Chobe and Zambezi rivers that form the borders.

Flying into Maun.

I flew to Kasane via Maun, to which I will return someday, as it is the gateway to the Okavango Delta. The airport in Maun is right in the town centre. I had a few moments to spare between flights, so walked across the street to browse in a gallery / gift shop and peruse the coffee shop menu. I didn’t feel like ordering anything, so I went back to the airport to wait in the departure lounge. It was there that I met Michiko.

Michiko's Story

Michiko is one of those shining lights that flits about the universe, brightening the lives of those she encounters.

Michiko is from Ushiku, Japan. Ushiki is the sister city to Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada. Michiko has been to Whitehorse. She even visited Edmonton en route to Whitehorse. Michiko has been nearly everywhere. Botswana is the 89th country she has visited. Zimbabwe will be country #90; Zambia, #91; Mozambique, #92; and Swaziland, #93. She came to Botswana via Namibia and South Africa. She couldn’t find a bus from the last town she visited in Namibia to Maun, so she hitchhiked. Fortunately, she was picked up by a friendly woman driver, who let her stay at her house in Ganzi.

Michiko is a teacher, journalist, and artist. While waiting for our flight to Kasane, she showed me her sketchbook of beautiful water-colour paintings of the places she has visited.

She indicated she had trouble finding decent accommodations in Kasane on short notice over Easter weekend, and was worried about catching malaria at the only place she could find, a campsite by the river. I invited her to stay with me, at the place I had booked. I’m glad I did – she was good company. She stayed for 2 days, then headed off to Zimbabwe to paint Victoria Falls under the light of the full moon.

Michiko is a 62 year-old divorced mother of 3 and grandmother of 2.

Easter in Kasane - Part II: Chobe Safari Lodge

I stayed in Kasane at Chobe Safari Lodge, on the banks of the Chobe River, sharing an invisible border with the national park.

The animals from the park pass freely through the lodge’s grounds. Guests are reminded to be on the look out for crocs and hippos that frequent the river bank at night and are advised not to store items on their balconies, lest they become play things for monkeys. A one-armed mother monkey made a small boy cry when she tried to steal his chocolate milkshake. When scolded by the boy’s father, she quietly scooped up her baby by her stub, and scampered away.

"Chobe Safari Lodge does not take any responsibility for any theft or damage caused by our resident animals."

I was entertained by the endless parade of monkeys, baboons, mongooses (not mongeese), warthogs, and lizards that passed through my front lawn. I could hear hippos snorting from the riverbank at night, but fortunately didn't run into any. I even learned a couple of games:

Monkey Escape:
Quickly climb up a vine hanging from a tree. Try to reach the safety of the nearest branch before the combined weight of your brothers and sisters who followed you breaks the vine, taking you and them crashing to the ground below, in a tangled heap of foliage.

Baboon Tag:
As in human tag, chase your friends around the grounds, tackling the one you catch. If tackled, do a somersault, then turn around and chase the others. If you are small, daring, and wily, you can approach your larger, more cumbersome playmate, then scamper up the nearest tree when it comes after you. If you are fast and lucky enough, you might just avoid a swat.

The night of the fall moon, while Michiko was capturing the midnight mist of Victoria Falls, I took a dinner boat cruise from the Lodge down the Chobe River. It was nice – except for all the mosquitos attracted to the candle light.

Easter in Kasane - Part III: Lions, and Elephants, and Hippos, Oh My !

While at Chobe, I took 3 game trips: 2 by vehicle, and 1 by river boat.

The first game drive was at the crack of dawn. It was shortly after 6:30 am, just 10 minutes into the drive, when the driver heard the distress call of baboons. He followed their alarm to the river bank, where a pride of 8 lions was feasting on a freshly killed kudu. You could tell it was a kudu from the long curly horns. The smell of the kill attracted crocs, who were lurking from the river, waiting for a lapse in the lions’ attention.

The Chobe region is home to the largest population of wild elephant in the world. This is estimated to be approximately 120,000 individuals.

We witnessed a tender moment as a mother elephant nursed her baby, finishing with a loving trunk caress, before spraying us with dust.

Hippos grazing on water lilies. That's the Botswana flag in the distance, reminding neighbour Namibia, across the Chobe River, that the island in the middle of the river belongs to them.

Young croc, sunning itself on the river bank.

A piece of daily life for a 'congress' of baboons.

Easter at Kasane – Part IV: The Smoke That Thunders

Victoria Falls is known in Zimbabwe as 'Mosi-oa-Tunya' - The Smoke That Thunders.

I was baptised by the spray of Victoria Falls on Easter Sunday – enough to resurrect anyone ! Like a child in a rain storm, I tossed my head back and spread my arms, and let the fresh mist shower down on me. I’ve been to other great falls, specifically, Niagara and Iguazu, but was still awed by Victoria's offerings. I’d like to go back when I have visitors to raft the Zambezi -- anyone game ?

I watched a bungee jumper get dipped into a multi-hued rainbow. I am sure her life will be all the more colourful as a result !

Michiko's impression of Victoria Falls.

Tea for Elders

It was tea break at a meeting this afternoon. My colleague politely deferred to me as tea was served. I asked her, "Aren't you having any ?" She replied, "In my culture, we serve tea to the Elders first."

It may be hard to admit to myself, but, apparently, I am considered to be an elder here. And a potential pensioner. I just had a birthday, and reached the age that a public servant could start to collect a pension in Botswana (meeting certain conditions, of course).

Ironically, the age to collect a pension has just been increased in Canada, from 65 to 67, which is a good 22 years longer than one can do so, here, and 5+ years older than the average Motswana can expect to live.

I scanned the recent Canadian federal budget, and found this explanation for the increase:

"Canadians are living longer and healthier lives. In 1970 life expectancy was age 69 for men and 76 for women. Today it is 79 for men and 83 for women. The baby boom generation (born between 1946 and 1964) is also the largest age cohort in history. As Canadians are living longer and healthier lives, many may prefer to work longer."

I had to chuckle at the last sentence. Why Mr. Harper, that's quite a presumption !

Mind you, I am not complaining about now having to work longer; in fact, I can only hope that I will be able to work longer. The sobering reality is that not many people in the world have that luxury.

As referred to earlier, the average life expectancy in Botswana is about 62 (61.85 in 2010). Not long ago, in 2003, the life expectancy was a startling 32.26.

The prevalence of HIV has had significant impacts on the population in Botswana. Since the first diagnosis of HIV and AIDS in Botswana in 1985, the country has experienced higher morbidity, mortality, and infant mortality rates and decreased life expectancy. In recent years, however, due largely to the introduction of free antiretroviral therapy, Botswana’s life expectancy has seen significant improvements.

Let's hope it continues to improve, so our friends here can join us in bemoaning rising retirement ages.

The Faces of BOCAIP

I've mentioned BOCAIP a few times, and even shown you the outside of the office building. I thought it was finally time to introduce you to some of my co-workers and explain a bit more about what they do. BOCAIP is the Botswana Christian AIDS Intervention Program, a faith-based organization, established in 1997, that operates programs in 11 centres throughout the country. One of its main programs is HIV counseling and testing. (*see comments for more info about HIV testing.)

On March 24, I sat in on an orientation session for staff from three of BOCAIP's centres who will be providing Provider Initiated Counseling and Testing (PICT). The two lovely ladies on the right work at the national office. Mme Kwepe is the National Coordinator -- a very experienced, dedicated, and inspiring woman. Bonolo, next to her, in the green top, is a Project Officer. The others are supervisors and counselors from some of the centres in outlying communities.

Here is Bonolo, explaining BOCAIP's counseling and testing model.

Bonolo's advice for working through challenges: "Some people are always grumbling because roses have thorns. I am thankful that thorns have roses."

Click on the picture to enlarge it. Let me know if you have any questions about the model.

National guidelines for counseling and testing children and adolescents, and encouraging couples to test together.