March 2007 Archives

Wow. Since COS things have been totally out of control. Busy. I don’t know where the time has gone. I don’t even want to think about it.

One big accomplishment over the last few weeks has been hosting “HIV and Assertiveness” workshops in three of the villages with the young women empowerment groups. Basically the members of the young women empowerment groups invited up to 20 young women from their village and taught them about HIV, assertiveness and other life skills needed to support their decision to live HIV free. It was very cool. The highlight of the workshops for me was seeing the original members remember what they learned in our training and be able to spread the message along to others. It’s difficult to know whether or not you’re getting through sometimes so seeing that was a reward for me. Brian and I also successfully purchased sewing machines for the young women groups with DMSAC money. It took a lot of time, stress and tears to get them purchased, but we did it! It’s been fun for me to re-learn how to use a sewing machine. It kind of makes me want to take up sewing.

In the meantime Peace Corps has been negotiating positions for Brian and me to extend a third year. It finally looks like things will come together. I will be working with BOTUSA – the collaboration of the Government of Botswana and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). BOTUSA is basically a technical advisor to the Government of Botswana on many HIV/AIDS related issues, but particularly with PMTCT. I’ll work with the PMTCT Division Chief helping coordinate the role out of the early infant diagnosis program and improving the monitoring and evaluation of PMTCT on the District level. I met with my future counterpart, Dr. Jimbo, this morning and we had a great discussion about my role at BOTUSA. I’m anxious to get started there because there is a lot to be done!

Brian will get the best of two worlds by working with the National Association of State and Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD) and the Zebras4Life Test4Life campaign. NASTAD is a consultant with the Ministry of Local Government that helps Districts with their annual plans for HIV/AIDS activities emphasizing “evidence based planning.” Brian has been enormously successful in implementing the evidence based planning approach in Kweneng District the last two years, so it’s exciting for him to work with NASTAD and be able to build the capacity of other Districts to be successful too. Zebras4Life Test4Life is another project that has been very successful thanks to Brian’s role coordinating activities in villages with Peace Corps Volunteers. In his role as the Zebras4Life volunteer he may even get an opportunity to travel and represent the project at a couple of international conferences. Pretty cool.

In addition to all these third year negotiations Brian and I have also been working with Peace Corps to get ready for the next group of trainees who arrive April 20th. Not sure if I mentioned here before or not but Peace Corps asked us back in late January to basically be technical trainers for this training group. They didn’t have technical training staff so we’ve developed the training curriculum for the CCB and DAC groups and will mentor the new people hired to be technical trainers. We were honored that Peace Corps would pick us to help with training but it’s also a lot of responsibility because if things don’t go as planned we’ll be there taking the blame along with the rest of staff. At the same time we had a lot of ideas on what trainees need to learn and feel that based on our experience in training and in the field that this training group will be the best prepared to go out and tackle the job in their villages. It’s exciting to feel like you’re making a difference.

All of this craziness means that we have just a few more weeks left at our jobs in Molepolole because once the trainees arrive we’ll spend a significant amount of time at the training sites. So, for all intended purposes my job here ends April 20th. Can I just say holy crap?! I can’t believe how quickly the time has gone by! It’s funny because when we arrived in Moleps I thought I had all the time in the world. It took the better part of a year before I felt like I was being effective and working on projects I wanted to work on. At the one-year mark things started to pick up, then there was a while of operating on autopilot and now the ending is heading towards us like a head-on collision. It is just nuts. It makes me glad that we’re not leaving for good because I am not ready to say any final goodbyes.

So if you don’t hear from us in a while you know why - re busy. Training prep, wrapping up projects around here, studying for the GRE (April 23!!), saying goodbye to our Peace Corps friends who ARE leaving for good (holy crap!), getting ready to move on, etc. It will be a busy, busy month.

Last week was the close of service (COS) conference for our training group (affectionately referred to as Bots 3). What a surreal experience. I can’t believe how quickly the two years have flown by and that our friends will be leaving in just two months. The conference was also weird for Brian and I because we’re in this strange place where we are still not totally confirmed for extending a third year. (Long story, will explain more later about that.) Therefore we had to pretend like we’re leaving and go through the process of declaring a COS date, start filling out paperwork, etc. What an emotional rollercoaster.

The COS conference is primarily about getting the information you need to get out of the country. There are a ton of things to do like writing a site report and description of service, having a final medical exam, closing bank accounts, returning Peace Corps property, etc. Not to mention the unenviable job of saying goodbye to friends and co-workers. Again, given our uncertain status taking in all the formalities of leaving was difficult for Brian and I; just making us more anxious to have things finally nailed down.

The other, more fun, part of the COS conference is having one last party with the friends you’ve made for the last two years. I had the privilege of being on the COS volunteer committee with another volunteer and planning some of the fun parts of the weekend. We went on an excursion to Mokolodi Nature Reserve for a bush braii (barbeque); had COS t-shirts printed; put together a slideshow with music featuring everyone over the last two years and compiled a mixed CD of local music for everyone to take home. Being together with our friends was definitely a high point of the weekend. There is something special about our training group that we’ve never fully been able to put our fingers on. We lost only five people early during our two years (three at the one-year anniversary and two more in January that we don’t really count as a loss.) Overall we have always had amazing chemistry together, so it was nice to have one last weekend to rekindle the energy of being together.

The biggest highlight of the weekend was the special luncheon held to honor us, our counterparts and special friends with H.E. President Festus Mogae in attendance. As a member of the Volunteer Advisory Committee (VAC) for the last two years I was asked to give a speech at the event with the other VAC member Colman Chamberlain. What a great honor for both of us. Everyone was also honored by the remarks made by President Mogae, recognizing the impact Peace Corps Volunteers have made in mitigating the impact of HIV. When you’re working within the government structure on a grassroots level you don’t always know if the impact is being felt outside your immediate circle, so it was nice to be recognized for our effort by the leader of the country.

What are some of your favorite things about your job? I will be a DAC also.

The access to resources for DAC volunteers is unique for Peace Corps programmes. I work as part of a two-person team coordinating HIV/AIDS activities and interventions in an urban/rural district of 180,000 people. I only wish there was more of me (and my counterpart) to go around as we are only able to get to do a small fraction of what we planned. Our financial year ends at the month-end so we are racing this month to conduct workshops, train peer educators, purchase supplies and equipment for income generating projects, print IEC materials and procure condom models. I am doing more this month than over volunteers do during their entire service.

Not every DAC volunteer, however, feels as useful as I do. Expect to have different levels of success in moving and targeting resources where they are needed. And depending on who you work with can greatly affect your personal happiness. This is kind of getting into your second question, but a lot of volunteers in the DAC programme have felt like nothing more than an administrative assistant. I have never felt that way, but I do some things occasionally that I don’t particularly enjoy or find rewarding to earn capital to do things that are very important and meaningful to me.

You mentioned some volunteers have complaints about their service in Botswana. What are some of their main complaints?

Some volunteers feel that Botswana is not “real” Peace Corps because most (not all) volunteers have running and electricity. Also, the culture is much more subtle and subdued. Let’s just say you will not be welcomed into your community with a song, dance and feast in your honor. If you work hard and make an effort with the language, after about a year-and-a-half you will have people express thanks for what you do.

Do you feel safe?

I feel safe because I am cautious. Peace Corps will give you advice on safety strategies during training. But a lot of your personal safety will rely on you taking common sense precautions.

How conservative does clothing need to be for women? Your blog says District AIDS Coordinators are in either a sub-district or district, so am hoping pants are ok.

Dress pants are OK for DAC volunteers, but plan on having a dress skirt or two for very formal occasions. Remember that the nicer you dress at work the more credible you will have with your coworkers. I don’t recommend bringing things that need to be dry-cleaned (maybe just one suit jacket for men). You will likely be washing everything by hand. So the trick is to bring things that are durable, but still look sharp and professional (you will be able to iron clothes). The most important thing is not to dress like you are going on safari. Just use common sense and dress how you would in the states. You can always buy more clothes in Gabs if you need to.

How difficult do you think it will be to be a vegetarian? I haven't eaten meat since I was 9.

Difficult. There are several volunteers hat have kept up their vegetarian lifestyle and several volunteers who gave it up during Peace Corps. It can be hard to get protein and other essentials through non-meat sources. Packaged peanuts are the only widely available nuts. Beans are cheap and easy to get. Dairy is another story. Depending on where you are will affect if you can get yogurt and cheese. Milk is easy though. As for soy, not much available here. In terms of the cultural, you can get by without eating meat in social situation without offending anyone. People will think you are a little weird for not eating meat, but hey, they will think you are weird anyway.

I saw that you brought $500 dollars with you. Is that all you needed to travel around as much as you have. How much money do you think a volunteer should bring to travel?

It realty depends on how much travel you plan to do. You can use credit cards and ATM cards when traveling to Namibia and South Africa. You can even get Rand from an ATM in Gabs. The dollars are only recommended if traveling to Vic. Falls or further up the continent as the exchange rate is better (or you can avoid exchanging at all in some places).

Have any volunteers done HIV prevention in the prisons?

I have worked with the superintendent at the local prison along the lines of educating staff and prisoners about HIV. I guess don’t know what you are getting at with this question. I don’t think condoms are provided to prisoners as it is illegal (and considered a cultural taboo) for men to have sex with men, if that is what you are getting at. The Prisons Department is chairing the national men's HIV/AIDS campaign this year so they are very active. I am sure if you want to work with prisons you will have no difficulty doing so provided it is culturally appropriate.

Do you recommend getting insurance for my things?

Yes. We used the travel insurance programme Peace Corps recommends. Read the policy closely about what is and what is not covered and under what circumstances

1. I can not get a concrete answer on how many suitcases we can bring, do you know?

Just check out regular airline guidelines for how many bags are permitted. Generally, you get one carry on and two bags to check in. I took a backpack on the plane and checked two bags. I also had my guitar, but had someone hold on to it that had already checked in just in case it would have been a problem.

2. Did you feel safe bringing cash with you? Where did you store it during training?

First piece of advice is to bring and wear a money belt. You can store cash and important documents in the Peace Corps safe during training and service. We brought about $500. Dollars are good for traveling to Victoria Falls (Zim and Zam), Mozambique and places further up the continent. My advice is to bring a few hundred USD, however, bring smaller bills ($1, $5, $10 and $20) as you will not get change if you pay in dollars for accommodation or crafts.

3. How many trainees usually stay with a host family during training?

PCTs this year will again be divided by programme area (DAC, NGO or CCB) between three host communities. There will be only one trainee (or married couple) per host family, but you will not be that far from other PSTs. You will be assigned to a training cluster of about 4-5 PSTs in your area and one language and cultural facilitator (LCF). Every morning your cluster will gather at your LCF’s host family house for a few hours of language instruction. Then, your cluster will either go to the community hall for technical training or will work as a group to do participatory analysis of your community and complete a community project. At 5:00 p.m. you will return to your host family to help cook, hang out, study, or whatever.

4. I realize that you traveled a lot, were you able to do that with Peace Corps income or prior savings?

We save a little bit of our Peace Corps allowance for travel but augment it with our prior savings. There are PCVs that travel strictly off their allowance, however, they give up a lot of day-to-day comforts to do so. We would not have been able to do nearly what we did on the Peace Corps allowance alone.