Joining the Peace Corps is something my wife and I have been interested in for about 30 years. Now that our kids are grown (our son is 26 years old and our daughter is 23) and our business (installing solar energy systems) has been passed along to new owners, we were ready to take the plunge! We arrived in Botswana at the end of February 2024 to serve in the Peace Corps Response Program. After 3 weeks of training in and around Gabarone, the capital, we were assigned to Maun, a village in the northern part of the country and gateway to the incredible Okavango Delta. I work with the Northwest District Council and the local government, helping with community economic development. When I'm not busy at work, I teach at an alternative school for at-risk youth (I can usually get there 2 days per week) and with Botswana Wild Bird Trust, a conservation organization.
Botswana is an incredible country -- there is a rich diversity of wildlife and the people are warm and welcoming. It is, however, very sparsely populated. The country has an area the size of Texas but a population of only about 2.5 million -- less than Houston. When it declared independence in 1966, it was one of the poorest countries in Africa and had a total of less than 10 miles of paved roads. It has made great progress and is now has one of the highest GDP's per capita on the continent.
Peace Corps Volunteers like me live and work side by side with community members around the world, collaborating on locally prioritized projects, building relationships, exchanging cultures and knowledge, and helping transform lives for generations. Learn more by clicking here.
