Worldview Magazine - Fall 2007 - (Page 25)

their self-esteem.” And I discovered my own motivations reﬂected in the words of a survivor. “ e disaster helped awaken in me something that was asleep–the desire to struggle for something, to help others,” said Damaris, who lost 26 family members and friends in the tragedy. “Now I have a life that I try to share with others. My grandest inspiration has been to accept everyone with all their virtues and defects. I would like to be a gigantic mother with immense arms to embrace all the people in the shelters.” Davidson teaches marriage and family therapy courses as an adjunct professor at National University in Redding, California and is a high school counselor in Weaverville. Letter from Gumare OKAVANGO HOME Achieving a new life & some old-fashioned patience T by Paula Kaye oday is the one-year anniversary of my arrival at my wonderful new home in Botswana. e pathway from my house is one of many well-traveled threads that take me to the village center, and this narrow one winds through beautiful spreading crown and ﬂat-top acacia trees, wild sage shrubs, and big termite mounds. Young mongoose scurry quickly across the pathway before me, Grey Lourie birds glide, wings outstretched, swooping from treetop to treetop resembling a graceful aerial trapeze act, while other birds scour the sand for beetles. Stray donkeys and a herd of goats with their cute kids graze on dry yellow grasses, ignoring my morning greetings. Savoring the brilliant deep blue Botswana sky, I remember hiking in the Sonora desert back home. e diﬀerence is that the mesquite are now acacias and the poisonous snakes are of a diﬀerent variety. My new home is in the village Gumare, population of 5,500, located to the west of the Okavango Delta in the Ngamiland District near the Namibian border. e Okavango is the largest delta in the world and an enchanting natural haven for herds of elephants and zebras, wild dogs, red lechwes, lions, leopards, cheetahs, giraﬀes and hippopotami, spectacular birds and ﬁsh and adorable chameleons. e delta is also home for nine predominant ethnic groups including the Banoka aka River Bushman, Okavango’s original inhabitants. ey form their settlements along the river to ﬁsh, to water their livestock, and to plough the ﬂood plains to grow maize and sorghum. But the population is largely rural, poor and heavily dependent on government subsistence. Many communities, some areas of Gumare included, are without electricity or telephone coverage. Since the Okavango lies on a bed of deep Kalahari sand, only 4x4 vehicles can operate in much of the district. Some settlements are accessible only by air or mokoro, a gracefully handcrafted dugout canoe piloted by an experienced poler. Even more distressing, the people of the Okavango are faced with the serious challenge of high prevalence of HIV/AIDS. Many believe that AIDS is witchcraft brought about by an unhappy deceased relative. Others deny it even exists. Traditional healers rule and some believe it’s all the government’s fault. Anti-retroviral therapy for AIDS is only available in two villages, Gumare Primary Hospital and Shakawe Clinic. Unemployment is well over 60 percent, so many HIV-infected people here cannot aﬀord the bus fare to the hospital or the clinic for treatment. I work with the district AIDS coordinator and play a critical role assisting the government to meet the objectives of the Habitat for Humanity International The International Volunteer Program matches specialized skills with administrative and capacity-building projects on the ground in a variety of different countries. While serving six to 12 months, volunteers cover all costs abroad. Alternately, the Global Village Program, which requires no previous experience, consists of one to three weeks of construction work, primarily in Africa and Asia. www.habitat.org. Health Volunteers Overseas Skilled medical professionals conduct trainings for local health care providers in over 25 countries. Placements average one month, but shorter and longer terms are also welcomed. Volunteers typically pay their way, although some sites can provide local transportation and lodging. www.hvousa.org. Iko Poran Volunteers spend three to 24 weeks promoting human rights in Brazil, with projects focusing on ecology, education, health, the arts, youth and other forms of social assistance. Program fee covers lodging and donation to project. www.ikoporan.org. International Executive Service Corps Business and industry professionals promote economic stability through four program areas: trade & competitiveness; information & communication technology, or Geekcorps; ﬁnancial services; and tourism development. Volunteers, should have 10 or more years’ experience, work WorldView 25 http://www.habitat.org http://www.hvousa.org http://www.ikoporan.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Worldview Magazine - Fall 2007

Worldview - Fall 2007 Contents Presiden'ts Note Lafayette Park Introduction Interview Commentary Editor's Note Letter from Rumbek, Sudan Listings Letter from Yekaterinburg, Russia Letter from Codaesti, Romania Letter from Catia La Mar, Venezuela Letter from Gumare, Botswana Letter from Ridder, Kazakhstan Letter from Rincon, Cape Verde Letter from Port Au Prince Another Country Community News Giving Back Opinion

Worldview Magazine - Fall 2007

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