The House is BUILT!

Today marks a collosal achievement in this Peace Corps Volunteer's service! Why? Because the project I have been working on to build a house for a destitute family of ten is finally complete! Yes, that's right folks, THE HOUSE IS BUILT!!! It is a little later than we expected but it is finally finished. Getting this family into a home has been such a huge project and required a collaborative effort within my village as well as local and international support. I can tell you that it has all been worth it!

The house has five rooms (which is a mansion compared to the previous one-room structure they were all living in before) and a covered outdoor cooking area. Plus, the mattresses I got donated are all inside the house now so the kids have a cozy place to sleep at night. This family now has a place to call "home" (just in time for winter). What's more, the family is so grateful for and amazed by their new home that they have actually opened their doors and invited other children who didn't have a place to live to stay with them. Generosity certainly does seem to breed generosity.

I am so happy that I could literally cry. This is a tangible achievement and something that I will be forever proud of.

"Terrific Tuesday" Tales

I entitled this post "Terrific Tuesday Tales" because today's "tales" (i.e. updates) are terrific... and it is Tuesday. Self-explanatory, I suppose, but I felt it warranted pointing out. This is most likely because I felt a desperate need to use an alliteration but wanted to let my readers know there was a reason for it and not just because I'm a great big dork (which I am). (Don't judge me: I worked at a summer camp, I make friendship bracelets with every kid I know, and I hang out with children every day - it's practically a prerequisite to like alliterations and other goofy things!) Honestly, I called the post this because I wanted to very simply "shout out loud" that life in the village is moving ahead terrifically!

For starters, I was awoken this morning by a phone call from my Country Director. He called specifically to discuss my application for extension. He clearly stated that our post is still waiting for funding approval for future extendees from Headquarters in DC and therefore cannot officially issue offers for third year extensions to anyone yet, but that he wanted me to know that my application was very well done and that I am "a highly qualified candidate" for my proposed extension. He went on to say that discussions about placement for all volunteers who are selected will begin as soon as the funding is approved. Knowing more about the process and the stages makes a huge difference for my mental well-being as I approach our COS Conference and look towards the next year. I feel like I can breathe a big sigh of relief knowing that I will likely be continuing the great work being done in Botswana for a third year. (I hope!)

Next, an update on my house-building project. As things so often go, costs of materials have fluctuated (mostly on the upswing), which has caused some delay in purchasing the last of the pieces we need for the house. That being said, we are moving forward with the project and should only be delayed about a week. The cement has been laid for the walls and floors, the windows went in today, the doors and locks (extra heavy duty) should be purchased by Thursday and installed over the weekend, and then all we have left to do is link the pre-existing single-room structure to the newly built home. We are doing this by putting a tin roof cover between the buildings and laying concrete between them. We are also going to construct a small outdoor kitchen in this section. This is a significant improvement for the family, as they have currently been preparing all meals over an open flame outside. Also of improvement, I was able to get mattresses donated for the family. That means that each of those children will have their very own mattress in their new home. Far cry from the blankets they share curled up on the floor right now! Finally, as I mentioned before, the hole for the pit latrine has been dug out and we have purchased the bricks and cement to build the structure. We have manpower together to construct it over the weekend as well. So, barring any further delays, we are hoping the entire structure (sans electricity at this point) will be ready for "handing over" by the end of next week. Wow.

Some months back, I wrote two proposals to a local foundation. I hadn't heard much since submitting them, despite many attempts to follow up with the foundation. That is until this afternoon when my phone rang (yet again) and I answered to find a representative from the foundation on the line. She was calling to inform me that the selection team met earlier this morning to discuss the first of my proposals, which requested a combi (van-like vehicle) to transport the children and patients that are enrolled in programs at my NGO. She went on to state that, after much discussion on my center, they were awarding us our request! This means that my NGO will be getting a shiny new (BRAND NEW) combi! This will help us so much. Not only because our current combi is ancient and costs us a lot in repairs, but also because we have created an income-generating plan for our old combi. Although it has "old car" problems, it's still operational. We are hoping to rent it out for a small daily fee, renters paying for petrol and maintenance, which would be able to go back into programs and increase our sustainability. But, no, the greatness of this phone call does not end here! The foundation representative that called went on to say that a visitor I had hosted at our center spoke highly of our work and our proposal was so well done that they are going to move it to the top of their list to review at their next meeting in May. She insinuated that they already wanted to approve it! The foundation needs to clarify some of their policies on their funding but, if this does happen, my NGO stands to get operational costs, including staff salaries (everyone is unpaid and works voluntarily right now) and two additional staff positions to alleviate the burden and scale up services. Now wouldn't that be a huge leap forward for our center?!

Finally, I am helping to organize an international public service program for a distinguished businessman who contacted me specifically because of the work I have done and asked for my assistance. Although I can't get into the specifics quite yet, the program will be aimed at educating people on grassroots development and hands-on service and hopefully create a global environment for giving back. Stay tuned, especially other PCVs because I may be calling you to host a small gathering or talk at your organizations to discuss the work you and your centers do!

In the words of my NGO's coordinator... "We just have to sing and dance and make a joyful noise!" Today's been a good day!

Quick Update: Pit Latrine DUG!

I wanted to give a very quick update on the House Building Project, mostly because there is progress! As of this afternoon, the hole for the pit latrine has been dug out! YAY! That's a huge process and absolutely vital for the success of a pit latrine. (I mean, imagine if you didn't have the super deep hole for the poo to go?!) The bricks for the structure are being delivered over the weekend and the entire pit latrine should be constructed by next week! Double YAY! And then this family will finally be able to go to the bathroom on their own compound and in an actual toilet. I am so beside myself with excitement right now. This is another huge success for this Peace Corps Volunteer!

House Building Project Update

Last week we finalized the paperwork to move forward with the house building project. This meant meeting with the Kgosi to authorize (and ensure) inheritance of the plot and its structures to the children and grandchildren when the mother eventually passes and then submitting the forms with the land board. This was of utmost importance to me before continuing the construction, primarily because I want to make sure the young ones do not get overpowered by long lost relatives or anyone else who might sweep in during the 11th hour and leave the kids even more destitute. Fortunately, we were successful in getting everything organized and officially filed so it was all systems go on the project over the weekend!

The interior of the house has been plastered and the doors have been ordered. Painting and installation of windows, doors, and so forth is set for some time within the next two weeks. If our financial resources hold out, it looks like we will also be able to get the house wired for electricity. In total, the house should be ready for the family to be moved in by Valentine's Day! Now that's what I call a "gift of love"!

This is a collosal achievement - building a home for this family will improve their lives beyond measure. This is possible because of the kind, generous, and wonderful support of the Gabane and American communities who have pledged so much. I will forever be grateful to each person who shared in this project.

House Building Project

Many months ago, I wrote about an extremely destitute family that my NGO works with through its home-based care program. The matriarch of the family is HIV+ and her health has deteriorated to a level where she is now bed-bound and unable to do basic tasks for herself (like get up to relieve herself). She has six young children living with her and no one in the home to assist with child-rearing (i.e. the father has passed and there is no known family otherwise). There are also two teenaged daughters, unfortunately both have now died of HIV in the months since I have known them. One of the daughters left an infant baby to, essentially, be reared by her younger siblings, making seven children in total living in the home.

In my posts about this family, you may also remember that I said this family is living in a one-room house without water or electricity (in the house or on the compound). The family curls up together day-in and day-out, with the mother sleeping on the only bed that fits inside the home. The other children pile onto blankets on the floor and the infant baby sleeps next to the sick mother. Food is scarce. The family is endowed with a support check from the government in the total of P150 per month (US$21) that they use to buy food. This is not enough but they make due with the supplemental food my NGO is able to give them through our feeding program. This, much to our dismay, is nominal as well but every bit helps. Finally, the family also doesn't have a toilet or a pit latrine on their compound so they defecate into a bucket and bring it to the neighbor's house to dispose of it. This is a hard process, especially for a sick mother whose children are attempting to stay in school, rear themselves, and care for the family simultaneously. This family is, far and away, the hardest situation and most impoverished that I have encountered since coming here. Theirs is a life of hardship to say the least.

A project that I have taken on has been to help build the family a home. I am proud to say that, to date, we have completed the foundation, built support for the walls, and put a ceiling on the basic structure. All of this has been done with donations of time, money, and materials by community members that have recognized the desperate need. We are in the final push right now to mobilize resources and are engaging in a fundraising campaign with a number of individuals and communities. As the days pass, it looks more and more promising that we will raise the necessary funds to finish this house and give the family a home to call their own.

A quick note on the toilet situation because it is a necessary side-project of the "house building project" and is something we all feel is very important (as hygiene plays a significant role in health), and therefore something we have been working diligently on. I am pleased to say that we believe this project will also come to fruition in the upcoming months. I have been working with a Church group in Botswana that has been spearheading the fundraising effort to dig a pit latrine on the compound. They are hopeful that the funding will come through by the end of the year and that we can start digging in the first months of 2013. This will make a huge difference for the family and I am exceedingly grateful for their continued efforts.

I am beside myself with appreciation for the love and support of so many communities in making this project a reality. If you are reading this and have participated in this project on some level, please know the depth of my gratitute - I will never forget your kindness and generosity and neither will the family. This house will belong to these children when they truly become orphaned. They will not be homeless and they will have something to call their own. And, until that day, they will have a safe place to live. This will relieve their stress and their burden and, I believe, bring them comfort both in actuality and in knowing that so many people care about them and their well-being.

Holy Happiness!

I have been trying to get online to tell the blog-o-sphere, family, and friends about all the wonderful things happening in my life right now but, alas, the internet has been beyond patchy and unavailable. Fortunately, after a few hours of waiting for this "Compose Post" page to load, I am finally able to give the happiness update I have been hoping for! The only question now is where to begin...

I will start with a quick word about two very sweet Zimbabwean women that I recently met.

The first I met yesterday while walking home from the NGO. She was a sweet older woman who came up to me and asked if she could do some work for me ("a peace job"). We talked for a little while and I learned that she had only come to Botswana the day before with nothing but a small bag of clothes and she needed money for food. I felt compassion for the woman. Regrettably, I didn't have any work for her to do (without water on the compound I couldn't ask her to do my washing etc). Alternatively, I offered her some of my (precious) stored water to drink and went through my kitchen to gather food for her. Although I am in desperate need of going food shopping myself, I managed to give her a package of pasta, some soup, and an assortment of fruit. She cried. Before she left, I helped her register her SIM card for her new Botswana cell phone and took the number in case I can help her in the future. If nothing else, at least she knows there is someone here that cares. Everyone deserves that. I consider that something to be happy about. 

And then today, another sweet woman from Zimbabwe came to me and said she has seen me around the village and wanted to know what I was doing here. I explained to her about Peace Corps and the work that I am doing at my NGO. She then asked me if I was available to work with others in the village because, she said, she had skills she wanted to learn so she could help people. After inquiring further, I learned that she had left Zimbabwe with her four small children as a refuge of abuse. She has the hope of some day starting a support group for battered women. At this point, the only thing she is armed with is a passion to help and the knowledge that you can escape and live a better life. I have agreed to assist her in whatever way I can. At this juncture, I am making an appointment for us to go in and meet with a women's shelter in Gaborone to learn about services and then we will move forward together. 

Next, I want to share about an upcoming event that I am putting together. The event will be in Kumakwane, the village that I was originally placed in. Essentially, I met someone a few months back that is a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (RPCV) that served in Botswana some years back. She has some friends traveling around Southern Africa and one of the stops will be to Botswana.  As part of their tour, they want to do something to give back and this is where I come in. The RPCV contacted me a few weeks ago to tell me that her visitors want to donate soccer jerseys and equipment but they didn't know where to do that. I suggested some teams from my old village and quickly contacted the PCV that is there to see if this was feasible. It was and event planning was underway! So... what the event will be is a "Community Health and Wellness Event", with the main activity being a community-wide soccer game following a speech by the Kgosi and the presentation of the donations. The game will bring all the teams together, ranging from soccer players 4 years of age to "older adults", to play as a community. The rationale behind having them play together instead of showcasing individual teams is that it takes an entire village (literally) to stay healthy and that we are all part of a team. We will also have people there to conduct HIV tests and to discuss nutrition with the villagers. Everyone coming together, everyone participating, everyone learning how to stay healthy, and everyone responsible for each other as part of a team.

In follow up of previous posts, I thought it right to apprise you all about the family I have been working with in our home-based care program. If you may recall, the family is a very sick mother, her five children (and one deceased daughter), and her two grandchildren. They live in a one-room house and are completely destitute. I am happy to report that, after telling their story to people from all around, we have finally found someone (a group of someones, actually) who are willing to take their cause on as their own! In other words, an acquaintance of mine and his church group in Gaborone have decided they would like to help the family get a better life. They have begun doing research and getting quotations to put a pit latrine in on the plot and then, once that is underway, will start gathering resources to build a house for them. When he told me that they had agreed to take this monumental project on, I literally cried. I cried for days because it is so powerful and so important and will make such a huge difference in the lives of this family. Words cannot describe how amazing this is and the magnitude of their generosity.

And finally (for now), is something I have alluded to since my birthday... Unfortunately for you all, it will remain vague and undisclosed until next week buuuuuuut, for the past few weeks, I have been coordinating an event for "High Level Visitors" from the United States who will be visiting the country. Yes, these high level visitors are grand enough that it requires confidentiality of the highest degree. But I can say that I have had the opportunity to meet and work with some amazing people with some pretty fancy titles from big-wig offices around Botswana and America. So how did this super secret event come about? Well, I was contacted by my Country Director about the potential opportunity and he asked me to fill out a fairly extensive report/proposal to be reviewed and evaluated. After that submission was approved, we went on to a number of site visits and interviews before being accepted as the event for these high level visitors. This is a huge deal, as we are literally the only event that is being held for them and our proposal beat out many from distinguished global organizations. I am feeling extremely blessed to have been chosen to represent my organization, my village, Peace Corps, and my country and am excited about the fantastic program that we have put together! This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I am beyond grateful for it! I cannot wait until I can announce it and share in the excitement!

So that's my "quick" update... There really is so much to be happy about these days!