Visiting Africa has truly been a life-changing event for me. I am most grateful that I was enabled to go with the help and contributions of BMDF. Upon my return I reflected on the journey, experiences, and personal encounters with the people of Botswana. For me, not only did this trip have a special meaning because we were going to help people abroad, but it was also a chance for me to reconnect with my heritage. As I found myself interacting with the Batswana, I realized that each of us no matter the distance of separation, deal with the same basic problems and that we truly do have more similarities in common than differences. And it’s those similarities that we should embrace in an effort to change the world.
In this report I will address the following questions:
What problems did you encounter?
This trip to Gaborone Botswana was intended to be a teaching and learning experience, however I found that upon arrival to both the schools and the dental clinic, that the country was undergoing its first strike ever. The strike arose due to public service workers demanding salary increases which they have not received since 2008. The government claims it has no money to fund pay increases, so public service operations were pretty much at a standstill. Schools had relatively no teachers staffed to teach the students, doctors and dentists had no assistants, laboratory technicians, or employees to sterilize instruments. The dental clinic was only able to operate for purposes of diagnosing and treatment planning; no patients were being treated during my time there.
How would you correct them?
Correction of the problems faced were beyond the scope of my ability to change them, but if I were in a position to make a change, I would make a compromise with the public service workers and find creative ways to fund the much needed salary increases and continue to develop positive working relationships with the public sector.
What are needs/issues which could be addressed?
Within the schools , the issue of bullying was addressed with the children, however while doing rounds at the Princess Marina Hospital, I observed several trauma cases, a couple of which had resulted from assaults, so I would think that acts of violence would be something to address. People aren't readily apt to notify police of such acts and would much rather deal with the situation on their own. There is also an orphanage called the Hope Mission on the outskirts of Gaborone which is home to little boys and young men who are considered "nothing" to the general population. These kids have been neglected and abused in their lives but have now been given a place of refuge, however, this mission lacks many things and is in need of funding and basic donations such as clothes and undergarments for the children. So a group of us are going to try and do some fundraising to help out.
What did you learn?
I learned that no matter how far apart we may be separated, as members of the human race, we all have the same daily struggles to survive, to live, to love, and to be loved. It appears that those issues are universal despite our cultural differences and at the end of the day, there are more things that make us alike than those that differentiate us.
How do you see this experience affecting/changing your life?
This experience has forever changed my life. I feel like there is a place on earth, irrespective of its inherent problems, where I really felt at home. The people of Botswana were warm and refreshing. Having had a chance to go to Africa has made such a tremendous impact my life and has given me a new appreciation for the time we are allowed on earth. Ultimately, this experience has taught me to truly value every moment I have on earth, to be grateful for everything whether good or bad because your bad may just be someone else's very best, and to always have an open heart to the
What have you learned that can be transferred back to the U.S.?
Life is a gift and that it should be treated as such, they have so much less to work with and to survive with, yet they manage to do so with contentment and an appreciation and value for family and tradition, we in the US could stand to learn a lesson from that; it doesn't take all the fancy gadgets to make you happy, we just need to appreciate and enjoy who and what we have been blessed with.
What is the significance and probable impact of the project?
One aspect of the project may have a strong impact on the school children regarding the anti-bullying workshop presented. The may be more inclined to help someone who is being victimized in the future, or if they themselves were a victimizer, they may change their ways. I know the personal impact that my visit to Botswana has had on me, and it has challenged me and inspired to me to try to organize a mission’s drive at the University Of Louisville School Of Dentistry, to sow into the ministry of the Hope Mission in Botswana. Overall, I feel the significance of the project was to show each of us, the visitors and the visited, the similarities that intertwine us as a people.
Posted on
Tue, June 7, 2011
by davis