"Dumela" (the Setswana greeting) everyone,
and welcome to my blog that I will keep for the time I will be spending in
Gaborone, Botswana from April 23 until July 22, 2008!
In the course of my legal training, which takes two years in Germany, I will be working for the
Botswana Centre for Human Rights – Ditshwanelo. It is located in Botswana's capital Gaborone, one of the fastest growing cities worldwide with a current population of roughly 200,000 people.
Botswana is a stable democracy in Southern Africa, located North of South Africa, East of Namibia, West of Zimbabwe and South of Zambia. You'll find more information at
Wikipedia.
Ditshwanelo was founded in 1993 by Ms. Alice Mogwe, who is still director of the centre. It is the only organization in Botswana dealing with all aspects of human rights. They work to advocate for changes in laws, policies and practices, and to raise public awareness of rights and responsibilities. Also, Ditshwanelo provides paralegal services to those earning less than the minimum wage.
I applied for a placement with them last spring and was accepted in June 2007. Ever since, I have been looking forward to getting there and start learning about human rights work first hand and in the field. In the course of my
University studies from 1997 until 2003, I took some classes on international human rights and since have focused on constitutional law in Germany. Besides this, I have a degree from my university in Anglo-American Law. It was a four-semester course that taught legal English as well as certain aspects of American and English law. I suppose this will help me in Botswana.
Once Ditshwanelo accepted my application, my employer, the Higher Regional Court of Koblenz, had to agree to this placement. After some deliberations, the responsible person agreed to it.
Ever since, I have been preparing for this trip: mentally by reading books and reports about Botswana, money-wise by buying all sorts of equipment that I lacked.
Thanks to Joe, the administrator of this forum, who allowed me to start this blog on the site. KivaFriends have become close companions, and I am happy to be able to share on this site, that I visit daily. It means a lot to me!
From now on, I will use this thread to post about my preparations and my experiences in Botswana. Please use the opportunities to post and comment or ask questions. It is all very much appreciated!
From April 2 until April 14 I will be taking the German bar exam, writing 8 papers of 5 hours each. Please keep your fingers crossed for me!
Thanks
Oli
