Saturday 7th October 2012 - We did it!!!!!!
Four weeks later than anticipated today we completed the walk from Gatwick Airport back to the ESDAS offices in Redhill, it took us just over two and a half hours to do the 10km, but we did it. We continue to maintain links with the projects we visited and with Surrey Domestic Abuse Awareness Week coming up we hope to continue the legacy of awareness raising so that people speak out about domestic abuse. The trip not only raised over £5,000 in sponsorship alone but it also enabled us to spread the word that ESDAS is here when people need us, we hope to release a grand total in the next month so keep an eye out on Twitter and Facebook for more updates. Just shows what we can achieve together!
Thursday 20th September
"Instead of attending ordinary events like weddings on a Saturday Marobela women got a chance to attend an empowering meeting. This meeting was spearheaded by Michelle and Laura from a charitable organization called East Surrey Domestic Abuse Services in Surrey, United Kingdom who have embarked on a two thousand kilometers journey to draw attention to the pervasive and unbiased nature of domestic abuse. The essence of the journey being mainly to share experiences with Batswana women and try to establish beneficial partnerships .This event was hosted by Lucy Hinchliffee on her Nilibo farm that is nestled on the hills a stone throw from Marobela.
The peaceful setup of the location gave so much tranquility as the women from the different continents shared their domestic violence experiences. Amongst the crowd were prominent women who are more knowledgeable in these issues. These women included women from Marobela, a female court president, women from the religious circles and social workers to mention but a few. With such a balanced audience the topic of discussion became even more interesting.
It became clear that despite the cultural differences between women their experiences in regard to domestic violence are similar. Issues discussed that gave rise to domestic abuse were cohabitation and dependence on men for financial gain these more likely resulted in passion killings. The challenges in dealing with domestic violence talked about included cultural norms that set limitations on the capabilities of the girl child, lack of family support unit / family court. The other issue that caused a lot of conversation was the one on marriage –in community and out of community types-which dragged on for a long time. This clearly exposed the fact that seventy percent of the women in attendance were not knowledgeable in issues partnering to their rights within marriages.
In closing the session court president for Tatitown, Francistown Mrs. Mosojane said “The world will be changed by courageous women who have the right to do the right thing, and then we would have a peaceful Botswana.”
After the session Mrs. Mosojane, Michelle and Laura planted a palm tree .This according to Mrs. Mosojane was to signify the strength of women as it represented women in the world as its roots entwined to become stronger" by Gertie, The Voice, Botswana
Michelle thanked the women for their attendance and urged Batswana women to continue with empowerment sessions as they would help them overcome the challenges they are faced with.
Tuesday 18th September 2012
Hello
Hope that everyone is ok and has had a chance to read about what we achieved before the accident, we have now added some more photo's so you can see more of the Journey and some of the amazing things we experienced in a visual way. We are both recovering well and continue to be amazed at the support we have recieved from everyone. Tonight night (Tuesday 18th) is the ESDAS Pub Quiz, if you would like to attend it is taking place at The Feathers in Merstham, £5 per ticket and starts at 8pm prompt (so be there before 7:45pm if you can).
Hope you enjoy the pictures and please keep checking the page for more updates about our developing links with the projects in Botswana. Thanks again to everyone who sponsored us, or supported us in another way, the Everyclick page is still open if anyone would still like to support ESDAS to support more survivors of domestic abuse and their children. Thanks
Monday 10th September
27th August 2012
Lucy took us to the bus station in Francistown to get the bus to Maun - one again courtesy of Seabelo bus company. This bus wasn't quite as nice and the bus journey was a good 6 hours on possibly the most bumpy road in all Botswana - we were pleased to get there! We then got a taxi to to the Old Bridge Backpackers where we are staying which is near to Maun. It is a beautiful hostel on the water with cool tents to rent. As we were planning to do a Mokoro trip (like a canoe) tomorrow, we had to get supplies so took a taxi back to town then back again - there aren't any combis in this area. Unfortunately on the way back to the backpackers our taxi got hit by another driver and so the owner of the backpackers took us to get checked out - first at the hospital - but there were no doctors - then to a private one. It was part of Botswana culture we hadn't anticipated on seeing! We were both fine and given some pain killers so decided to spend the next day taking it easy and doing the trip the day after.
Thursday 23rd to Monday 27th August - Marobela
After a long bus ride from Gaborone which started at 5:30am we arrived in Francistown where we met Lucy our host for the next four days. She took us to her farm which was 55km away in a village called Marobela. We rushed back as we were going to see the celebration and home coming of the Olympic Silver Medalist Nijel Amos (Marobela is his home). We quickly changed and then jumped on a donkey cart which was our transport for the journey, it was great fun not only for us but also caused great amusement to the locals who cheered and even stopped to take photo's. We met one of the village Chiefs as well as getting a photo of the man himself! We also tied a ribbon to mark the end of our journey from Gaborone. In the evening we relaxed as we were up at 5:30am again but this time to do a 12km walk.
The walk was great, we meet lots of people from the village, many of whom wanted their photo taken and then spent some time with Lucy's mother, hearing her stories of growing up in Botswana, one of which included a 25km walk to school each day. Walking back to the farm was tough as the blisters and heat had started to kick in but we did it! That afternoon we went to visit some ruins, where holy men go to pray for rain, at one point a Chief lived there with many wives.
The next day we were invited to a wedding - it was one of Lucy's relatives and traditional to the Kalanga tribe. We arrived and greeted everyone -trying to remember the language we had learnt! When the bride arrived they went through various rituals and then sat in the tent for speeches. We were very priviledged to be asked to sit in the tent for the speeches, as many of the people stayed outside, still preparing the food. We had to leave as we had a meeting to get to, but beforehand we saw some dancing and ate some traditional food. The wedding really gave us valuable insight into the traditions of the Kalanga tribe and we loved it!
Once back at the farm we prepared for the women's meeting which was being held in a stunning round hut on Lucy's land (photo's to follow). We were interviewed by a lady from The Voice (one of the biggest papers in Botswana). As the women arrived for the meeting we greeted them and offered them drinks. Before the meeting started Margaret (who sits in one of the big courts in the area) and one of the other ladies gave a short prayer and the meeting began. We talked about the Journey and why we had come to Botswana and asked the women questions about their experiences of being a woman in Botswana as well as their experiences and knowledge of domestic abuse here. Initially only the older women spoke but as the meeting progressed the younger women began to ask questions about their rights within marriage and relationships and shared more about their lives also. Something magic happened in that little round hut it felt like the beginning of something for those women, the village of Marobela and for us. Margaret brought a palm tree as a gift for Lucy and to mark the our Journey, she asked Laura and I to plant the tree and as we did she spoke about why she had chosen a palm, she that that it represented us all the women there and in the world as its roots entwined to become stronger, stronger than we think we are. Once planted we joined hands prayed and sang. The song was beautiful and the blessing (prayer) was so moving we were all moved to tears, as we said something magic happened there that day which we will never forget, as they left the women asked Lucy if they could come every month and talk about different topics, there was very definitely a desire to create positive changes in the lives of those women and many more! That evening we rested and talked about the day.
On our last day we went to pick up Boi - Lucys brother, who was taking us to see 'something amazing'. We jumped in the back of the 4x4 and travelled 180km to the salt plains near Nata. The sight was incredible. The first was dried out but when on for miles and miles. It almost looked like ice and was crispy under foot. We then drove a bit further along the plain and came to a sight which is almost too beautiful to describe - but we will try! It was salt plain, sheer white, but with pools of bright pink water. When you walked onto it the salt cracked and your feet made tiny pools of pink footprints. We will try to put the pictures on but they probably wont show the scale of it and how mesmerising it was. We tied a ribbon there which seemed fitting. We were the only people there and it felt very humbling. When we arrived back at the farm we climbed to the top of Lena's rock, where we sat and watched the sun setting with some drinks. The climb down was interesting as it was getting dark and we needed to keep an eye out for black mamba snakes! We then ate traditional food of pap - like a hard porridge- chicken and spinach with nuts - it as really tasty! We sat talking and danced around the camp fire to traditional music - it was the perfect end to the perfect stay!
Wednesday 22nd August
Today started slightly differently with an early start and a 4km walk to the Women's Shelter head office in Gaborone, we decided to walk in order to highlight a key part of our journey which was walking from one domestic abuse organisation in the UK to one here in Botswana. The walk itself was fascinating (although hot) as it meant we got to see so much more of the streets and houses in Gaborone, roadside tuck shops and stalls (including various chairs at the roadside which had signs saying 'Hair Cut', as well as experiencing the constant beeping of combi's picking people up at various points on the road. Our favourite stall was one which appeared to be selling cones of various shapes and sizes, however we later realised the dirt track we were walking along was actually a roadside driving school! After a few wrong turns we finally made it to our destination and were greeted warmly by the staff of the Kagisano Society Women's Shelter Project. We sat together and shared experiences of working with domestic abuse (Gender Based Violence(GBV) here), We talked alot about how culture impacts upon our ability to achieve a society free from abuse. We shared with them the resources for recognising emotional abuse, working in schools and outcomes measures. Loretta the Director asked how we felt that they could encourage organisations to react and challenge GBV in the way that they had with HIV/AIDS in Botswana. We talked to them about the power of calculating the true cost of domestic violence and abuse to society and offered to send them the Sylvia Walby study on this issue. We suggested that heightening awareness of the health consequences of abuse may also be a way for them gain further interest in the issues surrounding GBV. Once again we felt like we could talk to them for hours just sharing experiences and learning from each other, the last few days have been enlightening to say the least and we have been surprised that despite the differences in culture the nature of abuse and issues enabling it to continue are so very similar. It doesn't seem to matter where you are in the world abuse is abuse and more needs to be done to stop it.
Before we left we had photographs with the staff and tied a ribbon to mark the killing of 94 women by their current or ex-partners in the UK, it was particularly poignant as we had been discussing the loss of life due to GBV in Botswana. Like the UK many of these go unnoticed by the wider public and the impact is felt only by the family and friends of the one who has been lost.
After our meeting we were lucky enough to be taken to see the women's shelter, which much like the ones in the UK consist of shared facilities (kitchen, lounge, bathrooms) and separate bedrooms for families to sleep. On average the women stay for about 3 months but some stay longer if they cannot find somewhere else to go during this time, during peak times the refuge can house up to 24 women. There is a wonderful 'House Mother' who cares for the women and children whilst they are there and through fundraising the project are able to buy basic food for the families to cook. There was an office/counselling room, play area for the children and a gym most of the equipment had been donated and they hope to create a real garden for the children to play in. Many times we have thought that there are not enough refuges in the UK to cope with the number of women and children who need them, here however there are just two to serve a whole country, that we cant even imagine!
We talked more about what the project hopes to achieve and the plans they have for the future, their funding like ours is uncertain and their desire is to sustain their current services so that they can also further develop them, in particular the schools work and Outreach work they currently do in one village in Gaborone.
We parted company but agreeing that we wanted this relationship to continue and our learning to grow. We headed back on our 4km walk home, which by this time was hotter than ever in the midday sun (see sweaty photo to prove it). We were greeted by many waves, smiles, confused stares, a request to take us out for a drink and a couple of compliments about our appearance (which we can guarantee was anything but sexy!). All in all a great day full of interest, hope and of course some sadness at the experiences of people here and at home.
Tonight holds dinner and an early night as we get to the bus station for 5:30am to travel to Francistown for the next part! xxx
Tuesday 21st August
Our first full day in Gaborone was amazing! We got taken to the bus stop by our taxi driver friend Weezer to get to Mochudi where we were visiting our first project. When we got to the bus station there were buses and combis (minivans) everywhere and it was huge. Weezer came with us to help us find a combi to where we needed to go and we were surrounded by people trying to get us to go with them - it was chaos but in a good way. We finally got onto the combi and waited whilst it filled up a bit more - combi drivers will only go when it is nearly full rather than a time schedule - and we were off! It was about 40km in all with the combi stopping to pick passengers up on the way, and we were not well built for the combi seats - our legs were crushed against the seats in front. On the way we got to see a bit more of rural Botswana - there is almost too much to describe here but is mainly dusty with small stalls selling anything from chicken manure to haircuts. We didn't know how to get to the project once we got to Mochudi and our Botswana mobile had run out of credit when we were calling them to find out, plus we didn't bring our UK phones - so we were lucky when the combi 'conductor' made an unscheduled stop at the side of a dirt track, told us to get out and said "200 metres that way" pointing down the track. There wasn't much we could do but look at each other, shrug and start walking.
We found the project - Stepping Stones - which works with orphaned and vulnerable young people in the surrounding area. They receive their referrals from schools and work with the caregivers to get the young people into the project. They work with two age groups 12-18 year olds & 18-25 year olds, and it is the only project of its kind in the whole of Botswana. The young people come after school and do various activities and get help with the homework. It is a very holistic approach and the work they are doing there is really fantastic. When we arrived we met Thato who had started attending the project and now worked there. He gave us a tour and explained to us the ethos of the work. He explained that the majority of the young people have been orphaned due to HIV/AIDs, which is a huge problem in Botswana. We then met with Lisa (the executive director of the charity), Lila (the program manager), Tish ( a peace corps volunteer) Mosa (social worker) and Kealebaya (who was a social work intern). Stepping Stones are interested in setting up a gender based violence project and had asked us to bring some of our resources along that they may be able to use. We spent a while going through those and us all sharing ideas, information and experiences of working in the domestic abuse field. We heard about some of the young people's stories which like many of our clients own experiences reflected the devastation that abuse and violence can cause to an individual, their family and community. However Stepping Stones provides hope and support which enables many young people to overcome these challenges and also access opportunities in life.
Once we had paused for breath we went outside to tie our next ribbon which marks 50km travelled in total and 50 lives lost to domestic abuse. Stepping Stones asked that we leave the ribbon on the tree to mark our time with them and future working relationship. Afterwards they took us to a bakery project which is being built to allow the caregivers to earn extra income - those involved will be rotated and have been trained in making cupcakes as well as the traditional baked goods. Lisa then took us back to her house in another village to meet her family and talk some more about the challenges in our respective organisations. She then dropped us in a layby where we managed to get in the right combi to take us back to the bus station - 3 Pula - 25p - bargain!
In the evening we went out for dinner with an ex-pat who has been living in Botswana for 25 years. It was really interesting to talk to him about the changes he has seen and his views on Botswana and it's culture. We were so impressed with Stepping Stones and the work they do and also proud of ourselves for managing to navigate the complicated combi system with no mishaps!
Monday 20th August
We are writing this message from our first stop in Gaborone - we are finally here!! We successfully managed to walk all the way to Gatwick Airport with our backpacks and were able to use the room at the Marriott for a much needed shower! We are so grateful to all those that came along for the walk or to see us off, for all their support - it really did make all the difference. The 5 minutes from the airport to the Marriott once we had said our goodbyes to them were definitely the hardest! We tied the first ribbon to mark the 10km and the passing of 10 women (hopefully we will be uploading the pictures soon!) Once we had freshened up we went back to the airport to start our journey to Botswana. This involved three flights - the last in a tiny plane - and arrived 26 hours after we had started walking from Redhill. We were met at the airport by a friendly taxi driver called Ephrahim who took us to the first place we are staying in Gaborone. At this point we are feeling slightly overwhelmed and a bit helpless as we don't know how to do anything! Plus it isn't safe for us to go out walking alone and are not brave enough to drive so we are spending an evening in eating instant noodles with burgers - not the traditional Batswanan food but we will try and be a bit more traditional tomorrow!
Thursday 9th August - 10 DAYS TO GO!
Over the last week Laura and I have been busy figuring out what to pack and more importantly what we still need to get! We were delighted to hear that Sutton & East Surrey Water (thanks AON Hewiit Interns) had offered to buy us two First Aid kits and two torches which is great - although we hope to keep injuries to a minimum it is best to be prepared. This morning we did an interview with Redstone FM about ESDAS, domestic abuse and the Journey which will be available online in the next week or so and this afternoon we are off to get last minute essentials from a local camping shop. Busy busy, excited and nervous is all I can say!
Thursday 2nd August - 17 days to go!!!!!!
Huge thanks to Legal and General who have given us a community donation towards the cost of the challenge, as you know none of the sponsorship raised goes towards the trip itself so the support of local companys like L&G is vital. Thanks again x
Monday 30th July
With less than three weeks to go until the beginning of our challenge in Redhill things are really coming together. We would like to thank Mr Bonang Mphetolang and the Seabelo Travel & Tours team for kindly offering to sponsor our travel between Gaborone & Francistown and Francistown & Maun. The support of people like Mr Mphetolang within Botswana is crucial to making this Journey a success and so far the concept of our journey has been met with nothing but kindness and support. We look forward to meeting those who have supported us whilst we are in Botswana.
Tuesday 24th July
Only 26 days to go until we embark upon the first few steps of our journey. The walking boots have been purchased and arrived thanks to a kind donation from MasterFryer so the breaking them in process begins! Our journey schedule is pretty much completed and we are busy thinking about getting the rest of our equipment, sending out packs to those joining us on the walk to Gatwick and supporting numerous events throughout East Surrey (obviously the day job continues as well!). We would like to give special thanks to Matt Addis who completed the Bolton Ironman this Sunday in aid of ESDAS and the Botswana Journey, the Children's Social Care Team who held a Jeans Day on 18th July, a couple of amazing ladies from Caterham who held a Garden Party in the rain and everyone who has sponsored us so far. Today Laura and I have been to give a presentation to one of our local corporate companies on domestic abuse and the journey which seemed to spark lots of interest and discussion not only about the Journey but about domestic abuse in general. The more we spread the word the more chance we have of preventing people from suffering in silence! Once again a huge thank you to everyone who has donated so far and to those of you who have committed to join us on the walk to Gatwick or hold you own events, we appreciate it more than you know.
Wednesday 18th July
With only a month to go time is really flying by. Big thank you to everyone at AO2 taking part in the Jeans at work day in support of the Journey today. The sponsored walk packs are now ready and so anyone who would like to join us for the first leg of the journey on 19th (10 km Redhill to Gatwick) please call the office for a sponsorship pack and further information : 01737 771350. If you would like to walk with us but don't feel able to get sponsorship then please call to get details of the meeting place. We look forward to walking with you!
Tuesday 10th July
Things are really starting to come together now. Laura and I are feeling a mixture of emotions mainly excitement but there is also a little bit of nervousness about what we have taken on as it draws closer. We now have some firm dates and exciting visits lined up with some great community projects in Botswana, including Stepping Stones a project that works with vulnerable young people and a women's shelter (refuge). We can't wait to meet those involved and find out about their experiences of working with issues so close to our heart.
We would also like to thank two lovely ladies I met last night who after hearing about the trip sponsored us on the spot, they are also involved in a great project supporting children and families in Darfur, find out more our their work at www.kidsforkids.org.uk
We will be posting more about our plans in the next few weeks so keep checking the website, your support will help us complete this challenge!
Friday 29th June
Hi everyone
Just a quick update on plans for the Journey. We have now confirmed plans for a 4 day trek/explore of Francistown, part of which involves a 40km trek to and from some of the homesteds and villages around that part of Botswana. We are in the process of arranging a trek from Gaborone which hopefully will involve a local journalist following us for the day and writing about our journey, which is really exciting so fingers crossed for that. This week also involved the start of our immunisations and health checks to make sure we are in top shape for the journey and protected against most of the nasty things that lie in waiting for us, malaria tablets on order!
We still really need some support to purchase the equipment we need, pay for some accommodation or transport so if you know of any businesses out there who would be willing to help us in exchange for some free publicity please get in touch. We will add their logo's to our website, wear them on our Journey T-Shirts and publicise their support in newsletters & mailings. Have a great weekend & fingers crossed the weather holds out for the Caterham Garden Party this Sunday!
Saturday 23rd June 2012
Practice walk to the airport completed in 1hr 45 mins, apart from quite a few low hanging bushes and trees along the pathways no problems! Next time we'll be doing it with our back packs and hopefully lots of you in tow as well. Not long now only 8 weeks until we need to be fit and ready to take on the 2000km journey. Thanks again to everyone who has sponsored us so far and remember you can get involved in other ways as well. xx
20th June 2012
Thanks to the guidance and support of a few great people we have now been offered accommodation and access to a whole host of challenging experiences during our stay in Botswana. In particular we will be staying with a family in Victoria Falls, at a Cultural Centre in Francistown and be walking to some remote rural homesteads & villages. Thanks to everyone involved in making these aspects of our Journey so welcoming, we look forward to meeting you and experiencing the real Botswana! x
14th June'12
Since March'11 when Laura and I first started planning this journey several people have undertaken numerous challenges in support of this adventure. In October 2011 Susie & Matt completed the Bupa Great South 10km run raising over £800 and Ben Gladden, Fitness Director of BodyRock Fitness UK took on the first ever UK Tough Mudder raising an amazing £1,400+. In the coming months also various individuals and agencies are planning activities to raise awareness and money within their own agencies and communities for example there will be a Garden Party held in Caterham, Cake Sales within offices, and of course many people will be joining us on our sponsored walk to the airport which takes place on 19th August (information packs can be obtained from the office). On a larger scale KBR based in Leatherhead are planning to sell 2,000 white ribbons to mark the loss of 2,000 lives and tie them to trees on their company site during the time we are away. However big or small the event, whether it involves one person or many it can help us support someone to survive and recover from domestic abuse. If you have an idea whether it is to raise awareness or funds we would be happy to support you, so call the office and have a chat!
Thanks again to everyone who has sponsored us so far and of course to those who intend to!
Love
Michelle
May'12
We would like to thank LSR Sports and Travel Agency for arranging our flights to and from Botswana, its great to have local businesses involved and helping us make this journey possible. To find out more about what they do please visit their website at http://www.lsrsports.com/
