Flo's Clothes

I am working with 4 disability support groups who are trying to improve the lives of their loved ones and themselves who have disabilities here in Botswana. There is still a lot of discrimination, stigma and mistreatment directed towards these folks and these groups are forming to address their needs for food security, education and jobs.

One group is run by a woman named Florence in a small town just off the main road to Gaborone. They have sent in their paperwork to become a registered non-governmental organization and are learning about financial management, board development and how to run a nonprofit.  The first time I met her she said I needed to come live with her for a week and I would be speaking Setswana after 7 days.  I saw her again a week or so ago at a training and she said I needed to spend a weekend with her soon. Not sure if the reduction in the timespan meant she realized a house guest like fish start to stink after 3 days or if my language knowledge had seemingly so improved that she could now get me to fluent in a shorter time frame. Not likely.

She is a go-getter though, and told me she needed clothes for her support group members.  Knowing where I come from, and figuring I have massive resources and money, may as well tell me what she wants. Since she is going to make me fluent in Setswana in 3 days the least I can do it get some clothing for the people here who are very often not adequately dressed for the cold winter nights, or don’t have proper shoes to walk around on these roads.

 I am thinking of all the clothes I donated at home before I came here, and all the clothes my friends have in their closets that they never are going to wear. While it isn’t cheap to mail things to Botswana, if everyone reading this blog would just pack one mid-sized box (something a person can easily carry 2 miles on foot, okay?) of clothing and/or shoes, it would make such a huge difference to these groups.  Not everyone is poor in Botswana. Many people have jobs and can buy what they need, but people with disabilities have it a lot tougher.  They are less likely to be hired to work, are often subject to abuse or neglect, and often can’t physically access services that will keep them healthy, like HIV testing, or the clinic to get their ARVs if they do test HIV positive.  While clothing will not solve all their problems, it will provide them with warmth and some dignity, and they will know that someone cares about them. 

Think about it, when you are cleaning your closets, or your kids closets to get ready for shopping for school clothes this fall.  If you consider it a rag there, it is will be a rag here too, so don’t send those, but most of what you have that you aren’t wearing anymore is probably not a rag.  All sizes, kids and adults, are needed.  Please, help me earn my Setswana learning weekend fair and square!