One week away!

As the trip nears, we are squeezing in a few more planning meetings and continuing to take donations! In just the last few days, we have had some wonderful donations that are really getting us close to our goal. We've had some questions about where the money will go, and we wanted to clarify some of the ways the donations have been used in the past to get you excited about contributing!

After spending some time in the country and interacting with various groups and organizations, groups in previous years have identified specific needs or programs to put the funding towards.  For example, in the past, a group was involved with an orphanage in Gaborone. To save money on food costs, the staff began growing vegetables. However, the orphanage did not have the proper gardening supplies, so the Penn nursing students decided to use part of the funding they brought to help supply tools, which would then positively impact the health and nutrition of those children. Another year, students were involved with a sort of program where women were learning various crafts and skills so that they could make money on their own. One project in particular was teaching sewing, but they did not have access to the fabric they needed to support the women in their learning and practice. Thus, the students decided to put some money toward the purchase of fabrics and other supplies to support the women learning a craft that would have long-term economic benefits in their lives.

We hope this helps clarify our goals for fundraising, and we certainly look forward to sharing our plans with everyone as we identify needs in the communities!

Looking forward to our first in-country updates!!