The Location
The project is located in the Kaudwane village, in the Kweneng area, Botswana. Botswana borders South Africa to the south. Its other direct neighbours include Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Botswana has slightly over 2 million inhabitants and belongs to the most sparsely populated countries in the world. The capital, Gaborone, has a population of about 230’000. Until 1966, Botswana was the biggest British protectorate in southern Africa. This is one of the main reasons for English being the official language.
Botswana’s economy is regarded as one of the more stabilised in the continent. The most important economic sectors are its mineral resources, such as diamond trade and the growing tourism sector, especially regarding high-end safaris. The democratic party has been in power since the independence. The Botswanan president, Ian Khama, was re-elected for his second term in office in 2014.
The dominant medical issue in Botswana is the extremely high aids rate of slightly over 20%. Education is of primary importance here in order to teach the children about the dangers and protection. This problem can be demonstrated by the relatively low life expectancy. According to a CIA database, the life expectancy for males is 56 years and 53 years for women. This is the 213th place worldwide. The literacy rate is at about 88%.
The Kaudwane village is located inside the Kalahari Desert and is situated approximately 220 kilometres northwest of the capital, Gaborone. The village at the southern border of the “Khutse Game Reserve” was originally founded for the protection and care of the bushmen. For this, the natives from five different locations within the game reserve were brought together in Kaudwane.
The process of resettlement began in 1997 and ended in 2002, with the last bushmen being relocated from the park into Kaudwane. The overarching reason behind this resettlement was the improved supply of basic needs to the people such as education and medication. Today, the village has between 900 and 1000 inhabitants, of which about are 400 children. The standard family huts are illustrated here on the right.
Kaudwane has one small supermarket, which is regularly stocked by the government with the basic nutrition and foods. The primary school, ranging from years one to seven, has about 380 students. Education is compulsory for every child in Botswana.
In cases of illness and infections, the nurse in the clinic will provide the first medical aid. However, for more serious sicknesses the patients will have to move to a larger medical supply centre with a doctor, which is situated a couple hours by car away. However, the lack of means of transportation provide for the first serious problem to reach the advanced medical attention.
Furthermore, the village has a small police station, a village development council (VDC) and a chief, who acts as a mayor to the village, in a decision-making position.
