HIV/AIDS Education and Mokolodi Nature Reserve

Yesterday (Friday) morning we had guest speakers come and talk to us about HIV/AIDS in Botswana. They discussed programs dealing with the treatment and prevention of the disease, as well as their goals for the next few years. One thing I think everyone found interesting was learning about AIDS education in schools, which begins in preschool.


Today, we went to Mokolodi Nature Reserve. Once there, we went on a safari, where we saw Impalas, Kudu, and Giraffes. We then had barbeque for lunch, and watched a group of people from a local village perform traditional dances. They pulled a few of us up to dance with them, which was both fun and terrifying. After lunch, we drove to see two cheetahs who were rescued by the nature reserve when their mother died. Unfortunately, these cheetahs cannot be reintroduced to the wild, as they never had the chance to learn the skills they'd need to survive on their own.


Alyssa Oravec
Senior Management Major

Marula Magic - Tuesday, June 9th

After another productive microfinance class with Dr. Fisher, the group headed a little ways out of town to meet with five ladies who make products using primarily juice from the Marula fruit, but also honey & wax from bees. For example, some of us purchased lip balm (for marketing research, of course) made from beeswax, olive oil, and lemon essential oils. They also make marula snacks, jams, and body oils. We will be working with them on three aspects : machinery for processing, product packaging, and labels & marketing. We are all eager to help them! The women have great business ideas and are innovative when it comes to the various uses of the Marula.

Samantha Smith
Senior Marketing Major

Goodbye South Africa, Hello Again Botswana 6/7

Yesterday/Monday we rose bright and early (actually it was still dark) to adventure on our last safari ride at Madikwe Game Reserve. Although our group was split into two different Land Rovers, we collectively saw the Big Five: lion, rhino, elephant, leopard and buffalo. We were all sad to leave our weekend 'resort lifestyle', but glad that we got to see all the animals we did!

Once we crossed the South African-Botswana border and arrived back to Gaborone we were off to work with Somarelang Tikologo. After previously meeting with the community and discussing the organic garden project we discovered that one of the problems facing the success of the gardens was preventing chickens, dogs and other animals from getting into the crops. Fortunately we completed the 19 gardens faster than planned and we had time to address the fencing issue.

From working in the community, one thing many of us have noticed are the innovative ideas that the people devise using the limited resources and supplies they have available. Our innovative skills were put to the test as well when trying to figure out what to use to connect the fencing. We ended up using a recycled dog food bag, that we cut into strips to use as ties to connect the fencing material together...we have Brit to thank for that bright idea.

As we ventured back to the gardens that had been planted a week prior it was evident that the families appreciated and cared about them because they had already tried to create their own barriers to serve as protection. There were still many houses who did not have any fencing or some that used materials that were potential hazards, so we worked together to set up as many as we could. Below is a picture of some of the children in the community next to the first fence we completed:After our work was completed for the day, three of the students were surprised with gifts from some of the kids they had previously played with.This is just one example that has made us feel like we're integrating ourselves into the community well. Although our work here may be on a smaller scale, we hope to continue to make positive contributions with the community in Gaborone while learning, exploring and enjoying our time in Botswana!

Maegen Rainwater
Senior, Health & Kinesiology

Our Safari Adventure (6/5/10-6/7/10)

It's been a few days since we last posted, so here's what happened on our Safari Adventure!

We were scheduled to leave for the Safari on Friday around lunch, but we've come across a new mantra here in Botswana: any plans that can change, will change. Friday morning around 7:30 I get a call from Dr. Fisher saying that our plans had, indeed, changed. There was some mix up with our safari reservation, and we weren't going to be able to leave until Saturday morning. So, all the excitement we had built up over this had to be held off for yet another day. The silver lining in the cloud, though, was that we got another free day, all to ourselves (which has been rare, though we've enjoyed everything we've done).

We finally got to leave around lunch on Saturday to head to Madikwe Game Reserve in South Africa! Crossing the border is always hectic, but after we finally got through we were all PUMPED to finally see some wildlife. On the ride into the reserve, we saw a small herd of zebras munching on some grass. We were so ready to go! When we got to Buffalo Ridge Safari Lodge, we threw our stuff down in our rooms (which were beautiful thatch roofed bungalows), and ate a quick lunch. The lodge was beyond amazing. It was open to the fresh air, and we could see off into the woods from where we ate. Immediately after lunch, we packed up and headed out on our first safari adventure!

We saw SO many animals on our safaris! Among other animals, we saw lions, hyenas, impalla, rhinos, bison, giraffes, and kudu! One of the groups was even able to see a leopard, which is really rare! When I was riding shotgun with our ranger, Israel, I got so close to a lion that I could have reached out and touched it! And Samantha almost hyperventilated when we finally got close to a giraffe. Really, we were all worried that she was about to jump out of the land rover and try to go hug it.
But, it was a surreal experience! It's hard to describe everything we experienced over the weekend, but it was more than we could have hoped for!
Only 9 days left; We'll see you all soon!

Love,

Jordan Tompkins
Junior Anthropology Major

Coffee break on the first morning safari. More pics to follow but wanted to let all we made it back to Gaborone safely. Can you say AWESOME!

Donna K. Fisher

Organic Community Gardening

Today we started our work with the communiy members in one of Gaborone's poorest neighborhoods. When we arrived at the gardens, the homeowners had already prepared plots for us to transplant spinach, rape, and onions into. I think our overall favorite was the first garden because we all got to work together and got to eat fresh tangerines right off the tree! Along the way through the neighborhood we were greeted by some local children who loved to take pictures and play with us. These two events were the highlight of our day! In total we planted 19 organic gardens across the community. We are proud to be partnered with this active community, and we feel like we have learned alot from everyone we have had the opportunity to work with! This weekend we will be heading to the Buffalo Ridge Safari Lodge in South Africa for a fun filled weekend. Many of us have bought special clothes JUST for this trip. We can't wait to rock our safari hats, shirts, and other gear!

Jackson Head
Senior Regional Economic Development Major
Dublin, Ga

&

Jordan Tompkins
Junior Anthropology Major
Tattnall County, Ga

Main Mall MANIA!!

After leaving the NGO we finally got dropped off at the Main Mall! While we were here we were able to use our price haggling skills with the different vendors and acquired some really cool souvenirs, like this 3 foot walking stick!The vendors had lots of hand crafted wood figures, paintings, earrings and necklaces. The outdoor market was surrounded by a courtyard that also had different shops and boutiques. It was definitely a fun experience to be able to acquire some local arts and crafts to take back home with us! We walked back to campus looking like tourist with our backpacks and cameras and got to see more scenery of Botswana . I think it's safe to say everyone thoroughly enjoyed the market!

Sharee Ashford
Fort Valley Wildcat to GSU Eagle
Biology Major

Meeting with the community

Today we met with the people from the community and got to know them and discussed about the organic gardening project that begins tomorrow. I think both parties felt good and excited about working together, although it seems like none of us are experts in gardening. I guess we are going to be learning together. Today was sunny and warm and we had a good time enjoying snacks with the locals at Somarleang Tikologo. We also learned about transplanting and pest control from an organic gardener, so tomorrow we get to test our skills.

Silvia Tamminen
International Studies major
Tue June 1st

Media links

Local media came to see us off:

http://www.wtoc.com/global/story.asp?s=12547332WTOC-TV - Savannah
http://www.statesboroherald.com/section/1/article/23130/preview/Statesboro HeraldVideo: http://www.statesboroherald.com/multimedia/1375/Statesboro Herald

Pictures at long last

Here's the picture from our arrival. South Africa is all geared up for the World Cup. And in true capitalistic form, Coca-cola is a proud sponsor. We will attend match 12 between New Zealand and Slovakia. We are all excited about the opportunity.

This picture was taken at the pottery factory on Saturday, May 29th. We spent the day tour the sites surrounding Gaborone.

Next we traveled to the one of the painted rock sites. The San (bushmen) used this area for safe harbor. Some of the paintings have faded, but the site was fascinating.

Donna K. Fisher

June 1, 2010

I bless the rains down in Africa!

We made it! After a long and bumpy flight across the atlantic, we arrived safe and sound to Johannesburg. We had a brief overnight stay in the city, and then began our journey to Gaborone, Botswana. It was amazing to see the beautiful landscape and mountains along the way, and we've all been taking lots of pictures! The past few days we have been getting a feel for the capitol city here and the surrounding area! With a campus and city tour, visit to an ancient tribal rock painting site, traditional cultural village, national museum and monument, we have all begun to experience the local culture here. The weather has been cold and wet the past few days, which is not common at all since we are in the "dry season", but we are adjusting! We begin work with Somarelang Tikologo, an environmental NGO, in the morning and will continue our classes with Dr. Fisher and Dr. Charles as well. This has certainly been a great start to our African adventure, and we will report back soon with more posts and pictures!

Jackson Head
Senior, Regional Economic Development Major
Dublin, GA

Botswana at last

We've made it. This is actually day three of our travels. The students are all happy and healthy, although they are finding the food a bit interesting (weird as they say, but they're learning to say different).

The group met up at the Atlanta airport on the 26th for our 15 hour flight. Most of us were able to sleep at least for a few hours.

The internet is spotty right now so I'll only post one picture for now.