Day of Diplomacy

Written by: Ayaan Taddese

March 30 2023

Hello and welcome back to our Botswana adventure! Today was an eventful day, and we had a lot of exciting meetings planned.

We started our day with an early wake-up call and a hearty breakfast at our hotel before heading out to our first meeting of the day at the American Embassy. The meeting was scheduled for 8:00 am, and we arrived promptly to meet with the embassy representatives, including Mr. Carl Budd and Ms. Danna K. Schapper.

During the meeting, Leia, Slavy, and Alex explained our mission and the purpose of our visit to Botswana. The embassy representatives were interested in our project and shared their experiences in Botswana while discussing their goals and missions. It was an informative and engaging discussion, and we were grateful for the opportunity to meet with the embassy officials.

After the meeting, we took a break to grab some food before our next meeting with the Ministry of Justice. We were scheduled to meet with Ms. Lethlage, who would provide us with valuable insights into the situation of refugees in Botswana. Naz and Luka represented us during the meeting, explaining our mission once again, and expressing gratitude for allowing us to visit the Dukwi refugee camp.

Ms. Lethlage shared with us the government's efforts to support refugees in Botswana and provided us with useful information about the challenges they face. It was a thought-provoking discussion that helped us understand the complexities of the refugee crisis in the country.

Next, we headed to the European Union for a scheduled meeting, where Sofia and Liyu were scheduled to speak. Unfortunately, the meeting was canceled due to the unavailability of the person responsible, and issues with timing. However, we used the unexpected break to have a quick lunch at Debonairs Pizza before embarking on a six-hour journey to Francistown.

Upon arrival in Francistown, we checked into our accommodation for the night, the Nest Lodge Hotel. We were welcomed with warm smiles from the staff and quickly settled into our rooms. The hotel had beautiful surroundings and offered a relaxing atmosphere, which was perfect after a long day of meetings and traveling.

We spent the evening reflecting on our experiences and discussing the insights we gained from our meetings. It was a great opportunity for us to bond as a team and build on the connections we made during the day.

Tomorrow, we have an exciting day planned. We will be visiting the Dukwi refugee camp, where we will have the opportunity to interact with the refugees and learn more about their experiences. After that, we will be doing team-building activities, which will be fun and engaging. Finally, we will be sharing our entrepreneurship course made in collaboration with the refugees, which we hope will be helpful in empowering them and providing them with the skills they need to create sustainable businesses.

We look forward to another eventful day as we continue our journey through Botswana.