Who
to view all the images on a page and controls 
to start and stop a slideshow.About Botswana
Resources To Begin Experiencing This Dynamic Culture
Before You Even Leave Home
Happy Batswana
Molepolole, Botswana
Photo by Rebecca Bezaire
Botswana is among the fastest developing countries in Africa propelled by flourishing diamond, beef and tourism industries and a stable, multi-party, democratically-elected government. Sparsely populated, its flat, arid geography includes very large national parks and protected areas where wildlife thrive in a natural setting.
Although Botswana now has one of Africa's most advanced treatment programs, the AIDS epidemic continues to devastate the county leaving a tremendous number of families headed by very poor women or even children. Inadequate and overcrowded housing is a rampant problem.
You can zoom out on this Google Map and see that Botswana lies just north of South Africa between Zimbabwe and Namibia, or zoom in to see details like the locations of the two cities in which we will be building: Molepolole and Mahalapye. There are several other types of maps at WorldAtlas.com, and a collection of very detailed maps at the University of Texas.
Dedication day
Molepolole, Botswana
Photo by Dave Bezaire
Habitat for Humanity has built nearly 2000 houses in Botswana since 1991, and now serves the country through affiliates in 17 communities according to the http://www.habitat.org/intl/ame/26.aspxBotswana profile at Habitat for Humanity International. The Affiliate Descriptions and Handbook provided by Habitat for Humanity Botswana are jammed with good, current information about the country and Habitat's work there.
Get a tourist view at Lonely Planet. The CIA World Factbook contains myriad information. Here is a profile from BBC News. The big-picture view is available at Wikipedia. The US State Department gives their usual warnings in the Botswana Information Sheet, but to those of us that travel extensively and read these for many countries, they are saying that this is a safe place to travel. The Government of Botswana site gives the official view.
Chris McIntyre's excellent Personal Introduction to his http://www.bradtguides.com/details.asp?prodid=17Botswana Travel Guide synthesizes a range of political, economic and ecological views, including this paragraph:
Gaborone office building
Gaborone, Botswana
Photo by Dave Bezaire
"Botswana's government has been a beacon of prosperity and stability amidst a troubled continent. Financed by diamonds, it has set many examples of how to run a country. Taking a long-term view, its thriving tourist industry is the envy of the continent: minimising impact by admitting only small numbers who pay handsomely to rejuvenate themselves in its pristine environments. Then it has channelled much of the revenue back to the poorer communities in the areas concerned. This first-rate approach has been a steady, growing strategy to increase responsible tourism to Botswana. It hasn't been a quick way for the country to get rich, but it has been a sustainable one."
He further concludes:
Nxai Pan Park
Kalahari Desert, Botswana
Photo by Dave Bezaire
Fish Eagle
Moremi Park, Botswana
Photo by Dave Bezaire
So my plea to the reader is two-fold. First, go now and support Botswana's small-scale camps and responsible tourism; the country needs you. Second, having committed many of Botswana's secret corners to paper here, I ask you to use this guide with respect. Botswana's wild areas need great care to preserve them. Local people are easily offended, and their cultures eroded, by a visitor's lack of sensitivity. Enjoy - but be a thoughtful visitor, for the country's sake.