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facebookHi,Ed wants to be your friend on Facebook. No matter how far away you are from friends and family, Facebook can help you stay connected.Other people have asked to be your friend on Facebook. Accept this invitation to see your previous friend requestsEd Pettitt

Senior Project Coordinator at Baylor College of Medicine International Pediatric AIDS Initiative · The University of Texas School of Public Health · Houston, Texas622 friends · 51 photos · 127 Wall posts · 16 groupsAccept InvitationGo to FacebookThis message was sent to edpettitt.botswana@blogger.com. If you don't want to receive these emails from Facebook in the future or have your email address used for friend suggestions, please click: unsubscribe.

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facebook 48 people like thisCheck out Teen Club International

Hi,

Teen Club International is inviting you to join Facebook.

Once you join, you'll be able to connect with the Teen Club International Page, along with people you care about and other things that interest you.

Thanks,

Teen Club International

To sign up for Facebook, follow the link below:http://www.facebook.com/p.php?i=400293&k=AQCCT5DoV8XXEu6xAskqLj9LwWFPr6ropaliQ6xtxjJ6yJS9IUTCEigvF4abJbTqYabivi4AGrQBZzfb&r&oid=169829829788386

facebook 48 people like thisCheck out Teen Club International

Hi,

Teen Club International is inviting you to join Facebook.

Once you join, you'll be able to connect with the Teen Club International Page, along with people you care about and other things that interest you.

Thanks,

Teen Club International

To sign up for Facebook, follow the link below:http://www.facebook.com/p.php?i=400293&k=AQAlM0Z1IfA9D3w1rLd-One7e05UarfCY7MTFdA1Mi3YKUDfVftjcvUySG4iEJrZZW2Lm772OqSxwXaK&r&oid=169829829788386

facebook 48 people like thisCheck out Teen Club International

Hi,

Teen Club International is inviting you to join Facebook.

Once you join, you'll be able to connect with the Teen Club International Page, along with people you care about and other things that interest you.

Thanks,

Teen Club International

To sign up for Facebook, follow the link below:http://www.facebook.com/p.php?i=400293&k=AQCyMbIJCIVe4eTeRZoap1FXoA8NDrQuWMU145rZu3bN3jKBZKuiA9pfkbukQidpE9ouGU_Xl2XrpEWT&r&oid=169829829788386

Click here for the full Dqae Qare Scout Camp Report.

The Dqãe Qare Scout Camp was held at the far campsite of Dqãe Qare Game Farm (between Ghanzi and D’Kar, Botswana) during the August 2008 school holidays. The intention of the camp was to increase the knowledge and experience of the D’Kar Primary School Boy Scout Troop, which was formed in April 2008, and to create a D’Kar Primary School Girl Scout Troop. The camp also aimed to improve the life skills and HIV/AIDS knowledge, attitudes and behaviors of the Scouts through the incorporation of the Red Ribbon Badge Curriculum. All the camp objectives were fulfilled and a high level of enthusiasm was generated amongst the participants, which included Scouts from the New Xade and Ghanzi Troops as well. The following report examines the background and rationale of the Dqãe Qare Scout Camp as well as its implementation, finances, monitoring and evaluation. Selected best practices and challenges encountered during the camp are discussed. A plan for sustainability and way forward is also presented. It is hoped that the Dqãe Qare Scout Camp will serve as a model of excellence for future life skills camps in Ghanzi District, Botswana and beyond.

Click to download: Dqare Qare Scout Camp Report 2008

The following is a video from the Dqae Qare Scouts Camp held on San-owned game farm near D'Kar, in Ghanzi District, Botswana. The scouts are singing song about "tsabana", a mushy food made for small children. Notice the massive campfire in the middle of the circle.

The following is a video montage of a trip I took last year to Cape Town, South Africa with Sarah, a Peace Corps friend of mine and KG, a youth officer at True Love Waits in Ghanzi.

A couple weeks ago, I met with Leslie, a Peace Corps friend of mine, a few of her colleagues at Stepping Stones International, an NGO that works with OVCs, and some current members of the Gaborone Teen Club who live in Mochudi to discuss the formation of a pilot satellite Teen Club in Mochudi. Since our Gaborone Teen Club is growing so quickly and many teens can't make it out to our Saturday events, we've decided to roll-out satellite Teen Clubs at the district and village levels. The teens at Mochudi expressed great interest and enthusiasm in starting the Mochudi Teen Club as soon as possible and Stepping Stones held the first event last Saturday. The event was very successful and the head nurse at Deborah Retief Memorial Hospital (DRM) has agree to provide referrals for additional HIV-positive adolescents who are interested in joining the Teen Club. We are currently pursuing funding to roll-out our Teen Clubs to additional satellite sites next year.

Peace Corps Volunteer and staff at Stepping Stones International (Mochudi, Botswana)

Mochudi Teen Club members at the Stepping Stones International Centre in Mochudi, Botswana

In cooperation with the youth officers at the Department of Culture & Youth and members of the Village Youth Committee in New Xade, I helped to get equipment to start the New Xade Youth Centre. Before I left, I was also in the process of locating potential funding sources to expand the centre and procure more equipment. Hopefully, the youth committee will continue the what was started. Currently the centre boasts a TV and VCR, snooker table, table tennis set, badminton set, drums, punching bag, guitars and various board games. The centre is utilized by in-school and out-of-school youth as well as youth groups such as Scouts.

During the week of 16 July to 21 July 2007, the Thuto Isago Trust in partnership with Peace Corps Volunteers and peer educators from Gantsi and New Xade, held a camp for 255 hostel students and drop-outs in New Xade. Cúískúrúsa Camp provided a week packed with activities during the President’s Day holiday when the hostel closes. Each day the children partook in a variety of activities including HIV/AIDS and health-related life skills as well as livelihood activities including carpentry, goat and cattle rearing, sewing, poultry farming, metal work, baking, leatherwork and brick moulding. Children also participated in sports, crafts, and gardening. Art therapy in the form of the Hero Book was provided and each day the children individually completed an activity designed to help them identify and overcome problems or challenges in their lives. The camp also included a bush camp about 3 kilometres away from the hostel where the children slept in tents for the night and were treated to traditional dance and stories.

One of the success stories of Cúískúrúsa Camp is an orphan named Dabe Cg’ase. Dabe is a 14-year old boy originally from Eaton’s Farm (a large cattle ranch and bush safari operator in the Ghanzi Farming Block) but currently stays in the Basarwa (Bushman) squatter camp in Bosele Ward, Ghanzi. He is currently a Standard 7 student at K’Joe Primary School in New Xade. In 2004 Dabe was on the verge of dropping out from standard 3 at Ghanzi Primary School for various reasons including lack of adequate food and care at home. Dabe's mother passed away so he moved in with his aunt at the squatter area. The aunt did not give him enough support to attend school regularly so Thuto Isago Trust (formerly, the Task Force on Out of School Youth / RECLISA Project) intervened. They arranged a transfer for him to the hostel in New Xade in January 2005. Since his move to New Xade, Dabe works diligently at his school work and his academic results have improved greatly. He is also a member of the newly started boy scouts troop at the primary school. He has many hopes and dreams for his life. Some of these goals were expressed to his group leader at Cúískúrúsa Camp, as well as through the hero book activity. In his hero book Dabe wrote that he dreams of finishing school and being a president one day. Dabe Cg'ase is a shining example of the affects of affirmation and encouragement given to an orphan in difficult circumstances.

Here are some quotes from the Cúískúrúsa Camp:

“My favorite part of the camp was facilitating the life skills modules because it was my first time to see myself as a leader and now I have experience in teaching and leading the young generation.” ~ Female Group Leader, 21yrs

“I liked the camp very much because it has built a very good relationship between us, the adult leaders, and our students. Also, we were able to learn about different cultures, like the Basarwa (San) culture at the Bush Camp. I hope that there will be future camps because I have learned a lot!” ~ Female Group Leader, 21yrs

“My favorite part of the camp was the life skills modules because the facilitators were tirelessly doing their best, which you could see reflected in the words and actions of their students, who practiced what they learned.” ~ Male Group Leader, 22yrs

“Please continue holding these camps – they really help us a lot!” ~ Female Camper, 12yrs, Std 5

“My favorite parts of this camp were learning about many different things, dancing, telling stories, and eating oranges.” ~ Male Camper, 12yrs, Std 6

“I liked drawing my mother [for my Hero Book] because I miss her.” ~ Male Camper, 7yrs, Std 1

“I used to like running away from school, but now I will change.” ~ Male Camper (Dropout), 14yrs

Camp facilitators demonstrating a home-made oven for baking bread.

Campers posing in the entrance to one of the bush camp tents.

Children demonstrating creative use of craft supplies. Dabe Cg'ase: A Thuto Isago Trust and Cúískúrúsa Camp success story.

The bush camp at Cúískúrúsa Camp

ARV adherence amongst our pediatric patients is extremely vital - in Botswana, we only have 3 lines of therapy (ARV coctails) available to be prescribed, so there's not much room for error, as resistance canbuild up quickly after a few misses on any particular line. At the same time, it can be difficult for a child to grasp the long-term reality of taking 2 or 3 or more pills twice a day for the rest of their lives and some may succumb to what we call "pill fatigue". Studies show that the sooner the child is fully disclosed (ie, knows and understands their HIV status), the better their adherence is. At the Baylor Clinic, we utilize a system of gradual disclosure which can be started even with very young children. I've included the basic concepts covered with our youngest patients below. As they get older, more detail is added:

Concept 1: Just as there are many types of soldiers in an army, there are also many types of soldiers in our body ("masole a mmele" in Setswana) that fight disease. The soldiers that fight ARV are called CD4 cells. Concept 2: CD4 is like a commander in an army. The CD4 commanders direct all the other soliders (older children are explain that these "soldiers" are actually white blood cells). Your soldiers protect your body from different diseases and sicknesses like flu, TB, and other illnesses ("masole a siriletsa mmele").

Concept 3: Some people have a virus ("mogare") that acts like a lion ("tau") and can kill these soldiers, so that they can't fight off other diseases. As more soldiers are killed by the lion, you feel weaker and your body's army is defeated ("mogare wa HIV o lwantsha masole a CD4"). Sicknesses that your body was once able to fight become more serious and difficult to cure. Older children are told that the lion's name is HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus). Once a child knows the name of the "lion" and how it affects their body, they are considered fully disclosed.

Concept 4: While we still don't have any way to kill the lion, there are ways to strengthen the body's soldiers. When too many of the body's soldiers are killed, you need to start taking certain medicines (ARVs = antiretrovirals, or "diritibatsi tsa mogare" - literally, suppressors of the virus). These medicines make the lion fall asleep so that the body can train new soldiers to fight diseases or sicknesses.

Concept 5: When you take your medicines correctly every time, the lion stays asleep and your soldiers become strong again. However, if you don't take your medicines when you're supposed to, the lion can wake up and start killing your soldiers again. When there is not enough medicine to keep the lion asleep, it may become tricky and learn how to get away from the medicines. When this happens, the medicine we use tokeep the lion asleep will not work and may never work again (older children are taught that this is called "resistance"). That's why you must never stop taking your medicines!

We also remind our pediatric patients that taking their medicines is not about being sick; it's about staying healthy. We tell them that even if they begin to look strong and feel healthy, they must continue to take their medicines to keep the lion asleep and their soldiers strong. We remind them that no medicine can kill the lion, that's why they must continue taking their medicines to keep the lion asleep!

Me and some kids (mostly Naro) from the primary school hostel in a tree. Most of these kids come from Batswana cattle posts and Afrikaner farms. Many were removed from situations of child labor by an organization called Thuto Isago Trust in Ghanzi. Photo courtesy of one of the hostel boarders!

A G/ui boy from one of the cattle posts who came to our orphan fun day. They don't have sufficient water at the cattle posts to bathe and most of the kids wear rags, even in the cold winter months. This boy's ratty shorts weren't even sufficient to cover his privates.

A Naro boy staying at the primary school hostel. He also participated in a camp we held for the hostel boarders, called Cuiskurusa Camp (more information to come).

Unfortunately, these children are not going to school. Many of the kids in New Xade leave school after being beaten by teachers and refuse to return. Since their parents never went to school themselves and don't condone corporate punishment, they see little reason to force them to go back. These kids usually end up helping their families tend cattle, goats or forage for veld foods. They also like racing donkeys through the village and building toy trucks.

The Boy Scouts troop at New Xade. The group was started to give youth in New Xade alternatives to hanging out at shebeens (informal drinking bars). The kids don't have enough money to buy their own uniforms, so the dark green shirts were donated by a storehouse of old South African Army uniforms.

One of the my responsibilities as the "Adolescent Support Volunteer" at the Botswana-Baylor COE will be to coordinate the ongoing planning, implementation and expansion of our monthly Teen Club events and Teen Leaders meetings/trainings.

In early 2005, a group of doctors, nurses and social workers at the Baylor COE in Gaborone, Botswana, recognized a need amongst their adolescent patients to have an opportunity to meet together outside of their regular clinic visits in order to share their frustrations and hopes in a welcoming and supportive atmosphere. The first such "support group" meeting was held on 26th April 2005 with just 3 adolescents. A little over three years later, these support groups have grown into monthly Teen Club events with over 80 adolescents in attendance. The Teen Club events occur on the last Saturday of every month and approximately 10 healthcare workers regularly participate in each event, including paediatricians, nurses, dieticians, social workers and administrative staff. The purpose of Teen Club is still to provide an opportunity for HIV-positive adolescents to meet together with peers in similar situations to share their challenges and sucesses in a supportive atmosphere. Additionally, Teen Club offers the adolescents field trips and recreational activities that give them a reprieve from the numerous struggles and difficult situations they experience in their daily lives. Past events have included pool parties, nature reserve trips, movie nights and sports. We also incorporate educational components into our Teen Club events including sessions on HIV/AIDS education, life skills, college and career planning, and goal-setting.

In May 2008, the Teen Club members elected seven of their peers to serve as Teen Leaders. The Teen Leaders work together with the adult healthcare workers and volunteers to ensure successful planning and implementation of Teen Club activities. Teen Leaders are also expected to serve as role models in their adherence to ARV medications and commitment to zero-transmission lifestyles. In order to ensure that all teens enrolled at the Baylor COE have the opportunity to attend Teen Club events, we reimburse them for transportation expenses and provide them with a healthy lunch at the end of each event. Our current plan for expanding our Teen Club activities includes the development of a customized curriculum and toolkit for providing psychosocial/educational/recreational outreach to HIV-positive adolescents, expansion of Teen Club events to Baylor COE outreach sites, and training of Teen Leaders in leadership and peer mentoring skills.

If you want to know how you can support us in our Teen Club activities, leave me a message!

Ke a leboga (Thank you!)

Ed

I've renamed this blog "A New Dawn..." after a picture hanging on the wall in Baylor Clinic, my current Peace Corps placement. The drawing was done by a girl named Charlotte Molefi at Legae English Medium Primary School. She titled the drawing "The Rising Sun of Hope: One day Botswana will overcome the AIDS epidemic".

The word for "new dawn" in Setswana is "Masa".

In January 2002, the Government of Botswana launched Africa's first national anti-retroviral (ARV) program and called it "MASA". News reports at the time said that the initiative "heralds the rising of a dawn over Botswana's struggle against the HIV/AIDS epidemic and promises Batswana the opportunity to live longer and healthier lives by giving people living with HIV/AIDS more time to nurture their families and to help build a better future for Botswana."

From 2006-2008 I worked as a Peace Corps Volunteer stationed at a remote clinic in New Xade, a San settlement in Ghanzi District, Botswana, near the Central Kalahari Game Reserve. Starting in June 2008, I've been working with the Botswana Baylor Children's Clinical Centre of Excellence, a clinic specializing in pediatric HIV in Botswana's capital city, Gaborone. In New Xade, I worked on building the capacity of a variety of HIV/AIDS and health-related programs and conducted outreaches with school children and orphans and vulnerable children (OVCs). At Baylor, I'm focusing on building the capacity of their adolescent care and treatment services as well as conducting and applying research on the attitudes and behaviors of HIV-positive adolescents toward their HIV status and adherence to their medications.

Hello,

I really hope no one's been trying to follow my Peace Corps blog, since it has pretty much been non-existant due to my being placed in a village with no electricity or phone lines, let alone a computer with Internet access. However, I noticed that there was a glitch that posted some of my Setswana email messages to my blog, so I've deleted them and hope no one was confused. At this point, I'm planning to extend my Peace Corps contract with the Botswana Baylor Children's Clinical Center of Excellence, a clinic for HIV-infected children and adolescents in Gaborone, the capital city of Botswana. Since I'll be in the capital city I'll have more access to Internet and hope to resume my blog and even post about things that happened in the past couple years in New Xade. Keep an eye out for postings around May or June.

Ed

Hey Everyone!

I justed wanted to briefly write and let you know that all is well and I'm really enjoying my assignment so far. I wish I could write more, but my village is involved in a politically sensitive situation right now (all you have to do is google "New Xade, Botswana" to find out more) so I want to wait until I get the green light from my supervisor before I continue posting. Just know that it's been an amazing adventure so far and my work is really exciting.

Until next time,

Ed

My new address for the next two years is: Edward D. Pettitt, II, Ghanzi Post Office, PB 936, Ghanzi Township, Botswana, Africa "AirMail" Please write to me!

Hey Everyone!

I'm almost halfway through training and all is going well. A few days ago I met Festus Mogae, the President of Botswana, when he gave a speech in a nearby village. I still don't know where I'll be placed after training, but I'm kind of hoping to be put somewhere near the San settlements in the Kalahari. The San are indigenous people of southern Africa and have been said to be the oldest human sub-race in terms of genetic analysis. They are known for the anthropological studies that have been conducted with them as well as their language which is full of clicking. My Sestwana language training is going well - it's not that difficult. I still haven't received any packages but I'm sure they're on their way. Feel free to send letters to the Peace Corps Botswana address I posted earlier. I have a cell phone now though, so email me if you want the number! Oh yeah, last weekend we took a trip to see some traditional dancing and a wedding ceremony. All in all, we've done a lot in the past 4 weeks. Well, that's all for now. Until next time!

Ed

Sorry, don't have much time to write, but just wanted to let you know

that I'm heading to Etsha 6, in the Okavango Delta for shadowing until

Thursday. My host family is great and language training is going

well.Sala sentle! (Stay well!)Ed

Well, we've made it to Botswana and have started our training in Gabarone, the capitol. Peace Corps is really pushing the language training this year and wants us to be the first group to actually achieve fluency in Setswana. And I think I told some people that Setswana was not of the "clicking" lanuages - I was wrong. Setswana does contain some clicking, but not much. Today we went over some basic greetings. In a later post, I'll share some of the phrases and vocabulary we're learning.

Everything else is going well. Tonight we are having a formal dinner with the U.S. Ambassador to Botswana, so that should be interesting. On Monday we depart with our host families and will finally be able to unpack for the next 9 weeks of PST. My training group will be staying in the village of Moshupa, about 60km from the capitol.

Until next time,

Ed

Pre-Service Training is a period of assessment for Peace Corps Trainees. During the 9 weeks of training, Peace Corps will be evaluating our suitability for service. The decision to "swear in" a Volunteer is based on our attitude, demonstrated commitment to our project, our training progress, and our ability to "cross cultures" effectively.

Pre-service training is guided by three major technical themes. These include: 1) HIV/AIDS (basic knowledge of disease transmission and progression, understanding of HIV/AIDS as a development issue, exposure to Botswana specific programs and services, and the concept and practice of mainstreaming HIV/AIDS into development projects, as well as program specific topics related to PMTCT, Orphan Care, and Homebased Care; 2) Project Design and Management (needs assessment, the project cycle, the role of the Volunteer in Development, project planning, resource identification, budgeting, as well as monitoring and evaluation) and; 3) Community Development (Peace Corps approach to development, community entry, participatory development tools, facilitation skills, conflict management, gender mainstreaming, etc.)

These technical themes are also complemented by a full language and cross-cultural program.

Hey Everyone, my fellow Peace Corps trainees and I have arrived in South Africa. I am currently writing from a hotel in Johannesburg, SA. Our plane ride from NYC was long, but I was able to sleep and my luggage arrived safely, so I'm not complaining. Tomorrow we leave for Botswana by bus - the trip should take about five hours. We will spend three nights in Gabarone getting briefed and preparing for the transition to community-based, host family living. On the morning of the 24th, we will be bused to the town of Moshupa for a welcome lunch. There, each trainee will be matched with a host family. After lunch, we will move to our new homes, where we'll stay for the remainder of Pre-Service Training (PST). I'm anxious to meet my host family!

There will basically be three training groups depending on our job description: Community Capacity Building (CCB), Non-governmental organizations (NGO) and Distract AIDS Coordinators (DAC). I'm in the CCB group and our training will take place in the village of Moshupa - the other two groups will head off to different villages. Next time I update the blog, I'll post more about what we'll be covering during training as well as information about my host family!

As always, feel free to email me (edpettitt@gmail.com)!

Ed

All right... the time has come! I leave tomorrow morning at 9:00am for staging. Feel free to send me an email (edpettitt@gmail.com) or send me a letter or care package (wink wink). See you in June 2008, America!

Staging is the Peace Corps term for a three-day orientation in the United States for departing Peace Corps volunteers. Most staging events are held in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Washington or Miami. Basically, each training group meets up at a designated location to submit final paperwork, receive critical pre-departure instructions, and receive vaccinations and medications as necessary. Peace Corps covers all costs associated with staging. Staging activities are planned and led by Peace Corps staff assigned to specific “country desks.” Volunteers depart for the assigned country at the end of staging.

The Schedule:

Monday, April 17th

1:30-3:00pm: Open Registration

3:00-7:00pm: Welcome to Peace Corps and start of Training Program (Introductions, Personal Definition of Success, Anxieties and Aspirations, Safety & Support, Nuts & Bolts)

Tuesday, April 18th

8:30am-12:00pm: Training Program Cont. (Coping with Unwanted Attention, Managing Risk, Policies in Practice)

1:30-6:00pm: Traning Program Cont. (Crossing Cultures, Staging Capstone, Bridge to Pre-Service Training, Logistics of Departure, Evaluation and Closing)

Wednesday, April 19th

7:00am: Check out of hotel

7:30am: Depart for clinic

11:00am: Depart for JFK

International Flight Itinerary

J.F.K. to Johannesburg: 17 hours

Below is the address you can use to contact me (i.e., send letters and care packages!) during the first three months of training:

Edward Pettitt

c/o Peace Corps

PB 00243

Gaborone

BOTSWANA

Once I have been assigned a site, I will set up a local post office box for my mail and I will be sure to update it here.

I'm currently looking for teacher(s) in the U.S. (preferably, but not necessarily, in my hometown district) to enroll their classroom(s) in Peace Corps' World Wise Schools program.

Here's a link to the site: http://www.peacecorps.gov/wws/

And here's a link to the enrollment form: http://www.peacecorps.gov/wws/correspond/enroll.html

I received many of the following suggestions for care packages from Clare's blog at http://claremajor.net/ .

Ideas for Volunteer Care Packages: (No self-serving motivations whatsoever, I assure you; this is solely for the good of my fellow Volunteers. *cough*)

I've heard that padded envelopes travel better than boxes. A list of contents is a good thing to include in case a package is damaged in transit. If sent by air mail, packages to Botswana could take an average of 3-4 weeks to arrive (though it could be much longer, depending on various factors).

Food:

(Should always be in one or even two ziploc bags)

• Granola/muesli/cereal: a nice change from instant oatmeal or millet.

• Dried soup or pasta sauce mixes: for when you just can't eat another handful of millet and fish water; also good for times of stomach trouble.

• Dried fruit/trail mix:

• M&M's and other chocolate candy, including candy bars: chocolate here is awful, for the most part. They may melt, but I don't think any of us are gonna be above licking the inside of the bag if it comes down to that.

• Hard candy: it has the best chance of surviving the trip, and is easy to hand out to host families and other Volunteers.

• Drink mixes: everything from Gatorade powder to hot chocolate.

• Mixes: for baking at the regional house: brownies, cakes, muffins, pancakes, etc.• Seasonings like cinnamon, nutmeg, cumin, etc., that are hard to find in-country.

Non-Food:

• Magazines & Newspapers: anything and everything, from National Geographic to The New York Times.

• Travel-size Kleenex packs: easy to transport, better than using precious toilet paper.

• T-shirts: good for wearing or trading, better if they're from hometown businesses or attractions.

• Postcards/pictures of home, of you, of your pets, etc.

• Ziplocs, ziplocs, ziplocs: good for keeping rodents etc. out of whatever you're mailing, and endlessly useful afterwards, as well. Big, medium, small, super-duper-big, it's all good.

• New music, on mp3 CDs: you can fit more on one disc, and everyone's gonna have either a mp3-capable discman or an mp3 player they can upload 'em to. (Check with me before sending)

• DVDs: for those with access to a DVD player or computer (people near regional houses, PCVs with laptops), seeing all those movies we'd otherwise be missing over the next two years, plus old favorites, is fantastic stress-relief. (Check with me before sending)

Gifts for Nationals:

• Moisturizing lotion: anything scented and inexpensive. The women here use lots of cocoa butter type stuff, but I think they'd enjoy some American products.

• Playing cards & other games: kids will love anything from Uno to jacks. The hardier the better—anything that isn't extremely breakable or unusuable once the pieces inevitably get lost. • Playing balls: real soccer balls (deflated, with a needle included) are worth their weight in gold around here. Small nerf, rubber, or bouncy balls would be popular, too.

• Crayons & other art supplies: the kids love to draw, but of course have an amazing ability to lose/destroy crayons.

• Stickers: kids lover stickers.

• Pens & Pencils: we take them for granted in the States, but to African kids, especially students, these are worth their weight in gold!

Peace Corps Guidelines:

Please check the guidelines before sending care packages from home. Weight, content, and customs restrictions will apply. There may also be prohibitions against sending food items. You should consider carefully before sending items of great value, too. Please abide by the suggested regulations in order to prevent the loss or delay of items. Keep in mind that another country's postal system may take longer to distribute mail than the United States Postal Service. It is not uncommon for correspondence to take several weeks for delivery. For this reason, you and your Volunteer may want to number any letters you both write to keep track of your correspondence.

Here's a recap of Peace Corps and its role in Botswana (from www.gov.bw):

The Republic of Botswana is a multi-party democracy with a stable and progressive political climate. Botswana has four main political parties and numerous minor parties. National politics has been dominated by the Botswana Democratic Party, which has won every presidential election since independence.

Botswana has maintained one of the world's highest economic growth rates since independence in 1966. Through fiscal discipline and sound management, Botswana has transformed itself from one of the poorest countries in the world to a middle-income country. Mining has fueled much of Botswana's economic expansion. Other economic activities include tourism, agriculture (especially beef production), food processing, and light industrial manufacturing. Despite it's high gross domestic product (GDP), Botswana suffers from a high unemployment and income disparity.

The government has managed the country's resources prudently and has kept its recurrent expenditure within its revenue, allowing for investment in human and physical capital improvements. While Botswana has experienced extremely high rates of growth, it also experienced the most acute ravages of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. HIV/AIDS is much more than a health problem in Botswana, it is a development problem that will impact all aspects of Botswana life for years to come.

From 1966 to 1997, Peace Corps projects touched nearly all aspects of Botswana's development, including assignments as diverse as teacher trainers, nursing tutors, entomologists, game wardens, and small business advisors. Peace Corps Volunteers filled significant gaps in manpower and in many cases, made singular contributions to the steady and remarkable progress of Botswana. There are many leading figures in Botswana today who had a Peace Corps teacher or counterpart in their past.

Due to Botswana's economic success, it was decided in 1997 that Peace Corps/Botswana's work was finished.

In 1998, the government of Botswana declared HIV/AIDS a national crisis, and President Mogae dedicated his first five years in office to fighting HIV/AIDS, poverty, and unemployment. The President leads the national strategic plan by serving as chairman of the National AIDS Council. Such public acknowledgement of the development threat posed by HIV/AIDS and the commitment to action by a head of state has given momentum to Botswana's war on AIDS. The government of Botswana has enlisted the aid of civil society, international agencies, governments, and volunteer organizations to help the Botswana people address the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

The areas in which Peace Corps will assist the people of Botswana include the following:

Help to build capacity at the district and village levels in HIV/AIDS serving organizations. Assist in mainstreaming HIV/AIDS prevention activities into development projects. Provide technical assistance to the Government's homebased and orphan care programs.Help to promote the Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission in four selected districts.

My flight to Philadelphia for Peace Corps staging is a little over a day away. Needless to say, the past week has consisted of a lot of goodbyes. Last weekend I had two going-away parties - one for friends and one for family. My friends wrote farewell notes that were then collected in a scrapbook that I'm going to take with me.

On Wednesday I had to say goodbye to brother Jonathon as he was leaving to go to Tennessee with his friends and wouldn't be back before I left. I'm really sad that I'm going to miss his high school graduation... a lot happens in two and half years. Thank goodness for cell phones and email. Even though Peace Corps requires a lot of sacrifice, we have it pretty good compared to the early PCV's who didnt' have the high-tech avenues of communication we have today!

It's only a little over a week away (April 17th) before I depart to Philadelphia to start Peace Corps orientation with the rest of my Peace Corps training group. From there, we'll fly to South Africa and then to Botswana where my team and I will begin our three month pre-service training. I guess I'd better start packing! =)