Country Assignment: Botswana

I am thrilled beyond description about my assignment!!!

Myself and 9 others have been assigned to work in Botswana for 2 years as part of the AIDS Service Organizations Capacity Building Project. It's the newest Peace Corps program, only in existence for 4 years. I devoured the 20-page Assignment Packet that was emailed to me. Every part of the description is exactly what I've been looking for. More so, it even looks like everything my work experience has prepared me for.

I've wanted to do HIV work, but I want to do it where it's worse than anywhere else. I like to live life in the extremes. I got exactly what I asked for. Botswana has the worst HIV rates of anywhere in the world. 39% of the adult population is HIV+. 54% of women are HIV+. 20% of the children are orphaned due to AIDS. When it comes to the spread of this virus, it doesn't get worse than this country.

The hope lies in the government and the untapped potential of local communities to organize and take leadership. Botswana is one of the few countries in Africa where the citizens have never had to rebel against its government. Democracy works, the people trust their leaders, they provide great resources for health care and building infrastructure. Thanks in part to the wealth of diamond mines, they have the resources to do it.

It's said that Botswana suffers from the "welfare mentality." Since they seem to trust the government so much and their leaders continue to provide for them, they don't take as much ownership or investment over the country's problems. When it comes to HIV, the community doesn't feel motivated to take leadership and run volunteer programs. Our role as Peace Corps volunteers in this project our to help change that, work with nascent non-profits and organizations, develop community leaders and organization infrastructure.

I leave on April 16th for 2 months of training on the language, culture and skills of my assignment. During those 2 months, I'll live with a host family to help me acclimate to the culture and learn the language through immersion. Mid-way through training is when each of us will be assigned to our organization or conglomerate of organizations to work with. During those two years of service, I'll be in my own furnished "house," with electricity and running water. Even in the village/rural areas, food, markets and grocery stores are quite accessible. Botswana doesn't offer the "romanticized" version of the Peace Corps of living in a mudhut and eating bugs.

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Formerly under British colonial rule, the people of Botswana are mostly familiar with English and speak and write in this language for most business purposes. The local language is Setswana. I already took the liberty of ordering some $20 language software I found online to help me learn parts of the language before I leave for training. I'm so eager to go, and I'm ecstatic about learning as much as I can about my new home country before I leave.

I truly can't put into words just how excited I am about this opportunity.

Life is beautiful.