Today is day four of the Journey of Hope. So far we have performed awareness talks in four towns. In two of these towns, Gweta and Nata, our talks were done in the town’s kgotla. The kgotla is a gathering place where the chief meets with the town residents to disseminate information. Before departing on the journey midwives from a clinic in Gaborone translated breast cancer awareness pamphlets into Setswana so that all audience members had equal access to this information.
The first talk in Maun had a small turn out even though it was suggested that the turnout in Maun would be the highest of any town. Thus, many of us were disappointed and presumed that the remaining talks would be attended by even fewer community members. It was a bit disheartening to see the limitations of traditional marketing techniques (such as posters in a gas stations), which served to us as another reminder of the importance of flexibility in community work. Knowing the current marketing for the program was not working, we took the initiative to promote the awareness talks in the three proceeding towns: Gweta, Nata, and Francistown. Prior to each talk a group of us, including two members of the Journey of Hope that speak Setswana walked into the community, handed out pamphlets, and encouraged both women and men to attend. The attendance increased and we were able to have great discussions in the smaller towns of Gweta and Nata. The women in Nata were so engaged with the presentation that they ended up requesting clinical breast exams, resulting in over 50 women getting screened after the talk. The simple act of going out and meeting people reflects what we have come to know as an important aspect of Botswana culture-greeting, establishing a relationship and putting a face to a name will open doors for incredible opportunities to learn and grow.
Bridget, Randi & Grace
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