Site Announcement

Peace Corps did a lovely job of making our site announcement ceremony special. We each got a number on a colored piece of paper. The colors indicated which sector we’re in (CCB, NGO, DCL). They randomly called our numbers. When we were called up we were told our village and we had to find it on the map (there were color-coded dots on the map). We had no expectations about where we might go, so we were surprised when we were called last and the only spot left on the map was the very northwest corner of Botswana. We will be serving in….Shakawe!!!

Shakawe is close to Namibia and Angola and is on the panhandle of the Okavango Delta. We couldn’t be happier about our location. It’s in a gorgeous part of the country and the village is a nice size. In addition to learning where we’re going, we also learned more about our jobs. I will be working for Botshelo Trust, an NGO based in Shakawe. Botshelo Trust has several projects including a daycare, afterschool program, out of school youth groups, and income generating projects for caregivers of orphans. Matt will work at Shakawe Clinic. He has requested that he does work relating to food security, nutrition, general health and baby weighing (see previous post!). We will also work together on a new perma-gardening initiative in the area. 

We are very excited about our site placement. We cannot wait to head way up north and start integrating into our community!