World malaria day 25 April 2009

Victoria Falls in Zambia

On Wednesday the group was treated to a trip to Victoria Falls in Zambia. This was quite an adventure beginning with our ride on a ferry across the Zambezi River. This was interesting because there was a line of trucks several miles long waiting to get on the ferry. These trucks carry products from South Africa to other countries in Africa. They used to travel through Zimbabwe and over a bridge that crosses the Zambezi but because of the unrest in Zimbabwe they now travel through Botswana. The ferry can only carry one truck at a time so the drivers have to wait one to two weeks to cross into Zambia! We left our bus in Botswana and walked onto the ferry. In Zambia we found transportation to the town of Livingstone where we walked around and had lunch. Then we went the short distance to Victoria Falls. It is truly one of the 7 wonders of the world. We had a guide walk us around and explain the geology of the area. It was just amazing. After leaving the falls we returned to our campground in Botswana and got packed up for our return to Gaborone. Early Thursday morning we headed off on the drive and were safely back by 6:30 that evening.

Our Malaria Eradication Campaign was a tremendous success. The students from Gaborone and Colorado have made friendships that will last a lifetime.

Malaria Eradication Campaign in Lesoma Village

On Sunday morning a group of 30 teachers and students left at 4:30 AM on a bus trip to the Kisane area of Northern Botswana. We arrived at 6PM and moved into our tents in a campground near the village of Lesoma. On Monday we went into Lesoma for the kgotla
(village meeting) at 9AM. There were a lot of dignitaries present including the chief of the village, 2 representatives from the U.S. Embassy, the Minister of Parliment for this area, the District Commissioner and of course Dr. Mary Galinski from the Malaria Foundation International. The meeting was very well attended by members of the village. The kgotla included many excellent speeches, a community choir, and a presentation from traditional African dancers. Following this the students went off in groups of three (one US and two from GSS) into the village to educate people on ways to prevent malaria and to distribute the bednets. It went very well and the students enjoyed meeting the people of the village.
The Minister of Parliment was so impressed with the program that he organized a boat cruise on the Chobe river for the whole group that evening. It was beautiful and we saw many animals coming to the river to drink. This was a wonderful culmination of our work over the past year!

Donate school supplies and toys

On Friday we visited two schools in Mochudi to give school supplies, art supplies and toys that had been donated by families from the Dawson School. At the first school Raserura English Medium Kate gave a nice speech when presenting the gifts. The students and teachers at Raserura were very grateful. A couple of students from Raserura came forward to express their appreciation. One of the students was from form 1 and spoke so well and was so confident. Then we went to a school for students that have physical, emotional and mental disabilities. This was an amazing school that taught students from 3 years old up to adults. We visited one classroom which had about 10 students with mental disabilities and they were so happy to receive stuffed animals and foam balls. They began to laugh, hug the toys and throw the balls. It was a wonderful experience for the students from Dawson and GSS to be a part of. Thank you very much to the families at the Alexander Dawson School that donated supplies for Botswana!

Mokolodi Game Park

AHHH, another wonderful day in beautiful Botswana. The weather is very nice with clear skies and temperatures in the 40's F in the morning and 70's F in the afternoon. Since it is winter here the days are short with sunrise at about 7AM and sunset at 6PM. Today (Wednesday) we had a relaxing day in the Mokolodi Game Park. The group from the Dawson school was joined by 3 students from GSS and one student from Raseura English Medium, Dr. Mary Galinski and Tommie Hamaluba. At the park we were driven through the park in an open air truck with benches in the back. The countryside is beautiful. We saw many impala's, wart hogs, Kudu and the most exciting was a pair of white rhino's. There were many beautiful birds and we had a "bush lunch" alongside a lake in the park . Everyone had a great time and took a lot of pictures. The students from Botswana and America are getting to know each other very well and making new friends everyday! Tonight there is a retirement dinner for Mr. Max Mophuting the headmaster of GSS and a good friend of the Dawson School. Tommie, Bill, and Mary will attend this while the students enjoy the evening with their host families.

Malaria Workshop

On Wednesday the students Students from GSS that will go to Lesoma village for the malaria camaign joined with students from Alexander Dawson and 3 other schools in Gaborone for a workshop on Malaria. The first presntation was given by Mrs. Mosweunyane the National Malaria Coordinator from the Ministry of Health. She spoke about malaria in Botswana and taught the students how to hang a mosquito bed net. When the students are in Lesoma they will go house to house to educate people about malaria and to donate a net to each. So understanding how to hang the nets will be very important. Following this presentation Dr Mary Galinski gave the first of two presentations on how the Malaria Foundation International was formed and the biology of malaria. This was very educational and the students asked many good questions. Another presentation was given by Ms. Setume Bigani from the American Embassy Office of Regional Health and Environment. She spoke about the impact that Climate Change may have on the spread of malaria. This was a very interesting way for the students to see how different environmental factors may effect malaria. Mr. Meyers then gave a presentation on the Student Leaders Against Malaria (SLAM) program at the Dawson School. This presentation also dealt with the collaboration between GSS and Dawson. Ideas on how new schools to global education can become involved was also discussed. At the conclusion of the workshop all of the students were presented with End Malaria Blue Ribbons to wear during the campain and certificates from Dr. Mary Galinski and Mr. Tommie Hamaluba.
The workshop was a tremendous success and a nice opportunity for students from different schools to meet and work together.