Tierra in Botswana: My Blog Post for CIEE

Botswana Baylor Children's Clinical Center of Excellence

Working as a Volunteer and Intern

Hello Readers!

My name is Tierra Holmes. I am a senior English and Health Education double major from the United States. In addition to attending the University of Botswana, I am completing a 3 credit internship at Botswana Baylor Children’s Clinical Center of Excellence (BBCCCE). I act as a project assistant for two major projects: Genome Adventures and After School Program. When I first arrived in Botswana, I was extremely excited to begin my internship and start working on my assigned projects. However, there were additional things that needed to be done: we needed to review my syllabus and course objectives, finalize my work schedule and identify an academic adviser. My internship coordinator and project director agreed that my internship would officially begin the following week. So there I was, a bottle of excitement and anticipation shaken with enthusiasm and ready to burst. What will I do in the meantime? I would volunteer at the Morning Play Group.

The play sessions were a few times a week, from 9:00am-11:30am. All of the children who attended these sessions were patients at the clinic and infected with HIV. They needed someone to monitor the sessions, arrange the toys and play with the children who ranged from ages 7 -11. This was a new experience for me. Of course, I had played with children before but I never knowingly interacted with a child suffering from HIV. As an auntie, this experience challenged me personally, not just professionally as a volunteer.

My role as an auntie reminded me of my nieces and nephews. M role reminded me about the innocence of children and the ignorance of stigma. Most of the children being treated at BBCCCE are cared for by their aunties. Their aunties bring them to their monthly appointments, collect their medication, work hand in hand with the health care workers and so much more. As the children waited to be called inside the clinic, I played with them; I colored with and read to them. I laughed with them as I would laugh with my niece and I genuinely appreciated being in their presence. I was able to listen to the children speak Setswana, converse with one of the caregivers and practice the Setswana I did know. As an auntie, I refused to let a stigma dictate my interactions with innocent children.

The preconceptions and stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS would encourage one to be hesitant about playing with such children. Sigma teaches us to soak our dishes in bleach after they have been used by an infected individual, to fear playing sports with HIV positive athletes and avoid intimate contact such as hugs and handshakes. We are constantly reminded to whisper about the elephant in the room instead of asking him how he got there. Meaning, we become content with not knowing the truth about HIV/ AIDS and how it is transmitted. I am proud that I decided to volunteer at Morning Playgroup while waiting for my internship to begin. By doing so, I learned that my willingness to treat everyone with tlotlo (respect) while seeking understanding is stronger than the stigma.

Some pictures from our play session in January