Other teens took part in creating a World AIDS Day banner that will be displayed at the COE every year on December 1^st. This year’s World AIDS Day theme is “Getting to Zero” (for more information visit: WorldAIDSCampaign), though the banner did not focus on this specific theme as we want to be able to display the banner for many years to come. This year’s theme, however, is very special as this year marks the 30^th anniversary of the first recorded case of AIDS back in 1981. The banner was a way to allow the teens to reflect on World AIDS Day and the importance of raising awareness.

 Finally, some teens learned how to crochet on potato sacks. This type of artwork can be found all over Botswana and is a very creative way to use material that would have otherwise been thrown away. The resulting designs were colorful, fun and environmentally sustainable.

 Toward the end of the day, the Teen Club Coordinator took some of the older teens aside to discuss relationship, abuse and gender issues that they were encouraged to keep in mind as they left for the Christmas holidays.

 Overall, Teen Club Arts and Crafts day was a wonderful success! The teens were able to take part in activities that many of them had not experienced before and became directly involved in raising money for their future Adolescent Centre. We also discovered some natural artists during the day’s activities! The teens seemed to really enjoy themselves, chatting away with each other throughout the morning. They also learned to work together and communicate to share paintbrushes and paint and in coming up with a cohesive theme for the World AIDS Day banner.

On behalf of our teens, we would like to send a big thank you to Michael Chmiel and the Jack Meier Gallery for the tremendous support!

Teens learning about life as a photographer!

It is not so often that adolescents have the opportunity to get a taste of different careers. School or family pushes in certain directions, and life can often feel pre-determined by these outside forces. The goal of our Teen Club Career Day was to give the teens a chance to experiment, ask questions, listen and learn for themselves what life is like as a pilot, an engineer, a doctor, a chef, and to understand what it takes to be a professional in each of those careers. We wanted them to leave inspired, to be motivated to reach for the stars (or at least the skies, in the case of the pilot), to study hard in school and work hard in life with the knowledge that all of these professions and many more are just at their fingertips.

Feedback on Teen Club Career Day was overwhelmingly positive. Walking between stations upstairs, one girl was overheard saying “how wonderful to be a Social Worker!” as another Teen Club participant down the hall remarked, “I always thought I wanted to be a pilot, and now I am sure!” One of the teens was particularly pleased with the photographer’s station; she was excited to show everyone that the artistic career she dreams of is as legitimate an endeavor as finance or marketing. Overall, the day went without a flaw. Everyone who attended left feeling inspired by each other: the teens and volunteers from the professionals, the professionals from the teens and volunteers. At the end of the day, we can only hope that everyone went home a little more determined to put in that extra effort at work or at school, and, perhaps, a little more excited about tomorrow.

The day began differently than most Teen Clubs do; instead of separating into age groups the Teens were given options and encouraged to choose the activity in which they wanted to participate.  Some of the Teens set to work on creating dramas about responsibility. Theses skits were entertaining and thought-provoking. Teens acted out football games and social situations all of which ended in someone having to take responsibility and face a consequence.  After each performance the group discussed who needed to admit to wrongdoing and how that character could best handle himself in the future.

As the aspiring thespians illustrated the day’s theme through skits, some of their peers took to the pitch to explore how sports can transcend cultures and teach participants a multitude of life skills.

Although football is arguably the most popular sport among the Teen Club members, Teens were excited to learn a new sport: Ultimate. Ultimate is a game played with a Frisbee-style disc and can be described as a combination of American football, football (American soccer) and netball.  In addition to having a blast learning to throw and catch the discs, Teens learned about the “Spirit of the Game.” Ultimate is played without any officials calling fouls; as a matter of fact, all fouls must be called by the player committing the wrong (this is in stark contrast with the contentious griping of footballers arguing almost every call made by officials). It is this aspect of the game that makes Ultimate the ideal sport to teach personal accountability. It was incredibly fortunate that University of Illinois Ultimate team, Prion, was willing to sponsor the day, donating discs to some of the Teens so that they may continue practicing. A special thank you must be offered to Prion and Pavan Sarguru for organizing the fundraising tournament and bringing Ultimate to the Teens of Botswana.

Personally, this was a special Teen Club for this author.  After working with the Botswana Teen Club for a year, September’s Teen Club was my last (for now…). Every aspect of my time with Botswana Teen Club, from the people I worked with daily to the time I had interacting with the Teens, was life changing.  As cliché as it sounds, it’s true when I say words cannot describe how impressed I am by Teen Club members and especially the Teen Leaders, both current and past. I wish everyone the best of luck in their continued pursuit of excellence with Botswana Teen Club. I will miss you all dearly. Even you, Silk.”

Peter Butzen

Teens making lemonde with an adult volunteer!

The August Teen Club opened with a celebratory circle as the teens sang and participated in interactive games. The teens were quick to show solidarity as each newly-arriving teen club member joined the enlarging ring. Seeing the youth gather in a circle showed the strength of a unified teen force!

The August Teen Club exposed some of the “lemons” tempting and trapping youth of the day. Specifically, the teens discussed the risks and realities of multiple concurrent partnerships, transactional sex and intergenerational relationships.

The younger teens engaged in a dynamic discussion to define multiple concurrent partnerships (MCP). The youth decided to simplify each word in the MCP phrase with their own definition to really slice n’ dice the lemon into understandable terms: “multiple equals many, concurrent means same time, and partnerships means physical union”. The youth then drew graphs to represent serial monogamy versus multiple concurrent partnerships. Some of the youth mentioned that MCP may be an accepted norm in certain cultural contexts, so they were eager to discuss the emotional, physical, and health challenges/risks that may motivate them to avoid MCP in their own lives and that may help them protect their peers from MCP. The teens then decided to compare “transactional sex” to a Barclays bank ATM transaction (receiving funds or material gain) to help them understand the concept of selling/renting one’s body or heart or emotions in exchange for material return. Rather than judge those engaged in transactional sex, the youth expressed sensitive concern for those who may be financially or socially vulnerable enough to participate in transactional sex. The youth also discussed the dangers of intergenerational sexual relationships, specifically expressing concern for the potential power differentials and gender struggles involved in those sexually active between a wide age gap. An MCP Project Officer from the Botswana-Baylor COE initiated a slide presentation for the youth to help orient them to the topics. The dynamic and energetic Teen Club Leaders were awesome about keeping the conversation interactive and keeping the teens engaged!

The younger teens learned about multiple concurrent partnerships, transactional sex, and intergenerational sex by viewing a 77-minute video which depicted the social scenarios of each context. They then described the temptations, challenges, and consequences faced by each character portrayed in the films. The teens were reminded about the Baylor Clinic being a safe space for them to discuss any social concerns in their own lives during clinic appointments or with scheduled visits with the Baylor social workers and Baylor psychologists.

The older teens were eager to learn about entrepreneur alternatives that could protect against fiduciary dependence (the teens recognized that MCP, transactional, and intergenerational sex is sometimes motivated by vulnerable people facing economic hardship enough to fall into risky lifestyles). A guest speaker from Stepping Stones International (an innovative after-school and community outreach program serving orphaned and vulnerable adolescents in Gaborone) lead the teens in a discussion to brainstorm small business ideas, to learn about the resources available to turn an idea into a project, and to explore the personal attributes required for entrepreneurship.

The teens then divided into small groups to turn boiling water, sugar, and fresh lemons into delicious of fresh lemonade. Through an interactive project, they brainstormed marketing strategies for advertising and selling their lemonade. The teens gulped down their successful drink recipes with their afternoon lunches.

Teens enjoying their lemonade at the end of the day!

Life has a way of handing out lemons. For example, many of the usual teen club youth were unable to attend teen club this Saturday due to their having to attend weekend school to make up for missed classroom days during the extended teacher strike. In a context of a “one-in-four” HIV population rate, a loss of guardians, academic challenges, social stigma, and financial barriers facing many of the youth – sometimes it feels like tart challenges and sour trials abound. But, the teen club youth show an incredible perseverance, a remarkable resiliency to chase joy, and a committed to ensuring a better future for themselves and for their peers. As the teen club youth helped each other cut up lemons, add sugar to one another’s recipes, and stir in solidarity… we were reminded of the refreshment of teamwork and life skills.

Meaghann Weaver, MD

*For information about our 2011 Fundraising Drive,

please visit our Donations page.*

The following post was written by

Emily Kossow and Cassandra Pilla,

Botswana Teen Club Project Assistant

For July’s Teen Club, we decided to review some basic First Aid skills. Teen Club welcomed volunteers from the Botswana Red Cross Society to teach basic first aid. The teens were split into older and younger teens as usual. The younger teens started the morning with their activity. They were split into smaller groups, and each group was assigned a scenario describing someone being injured and needing first aid assistance. Groups had to come up with a small play portraying the injury and the appropriate first aid response. Scenarios included basic First Aid topics such as snake bites, ingested toxins, dog bites, open wounds, car accidents, burns, nosebleeds and choking. The teens were very enthusiastic and comedic actors; to the great delight of the teens and staff alike, several teens got down on their hands and knees during their skits to play the parts of the biting dog or snake! After each team presented their play to the rest of the group, Red Cross volunteers reviewed what they team had done correctly, and what other First Aid responses would have been beneficial. We were happily surprised to see how much the teens alread

Teens Practice First Aid they learned from the Red Cross

y knew, even before hearing the Red Cross’ presentation! After the drama activity, the younger teens had an interactive discussion with the Red Cross volunteers about basic First Aid and were able to practice putting each other in splits, bandages and neck braces.

The older teens did very similar activities. They started with their discussion on basic First Aid. The topics covered included wound care, caring for broken ribs, caring for a broken jaw or toothache, CPR and resuscitation, and burn management. We had some brave volunteers who had to act out the injury in order for first aid treatment to be properly demonstrated. The teens were also given a chance to practice wound care and tying bandages on each other. Then, the teens were divided in smaller groups of about 10 people and were each given scenarios like the younger teens. The scenarios covered wound care, burn management, poison control, alcohol poisoning, choking and snake bites. At the end of each skit, the group discussed together with the Red Cross volunteer what was done correctly, and what else could have been done. We had some very funny skits, and saw some very talented teen actors perform.

In the end, this gave a chance for the teens to learn a little bit about first aid and how to react in an emergency. We hope that the teens will be able to use the skills they learned. The activities were quite fun and we owe a big thank you to the Botswana Red Cross Society and their wonderful volunteers for helping to facilitate this month’s activities.

As a last note, the Teen Club members and staff would like to extend a huge thank you and farewell to our Project Assistant, Cassandra, who has been such a great part of our team for the last three months!

Dr. Leah and Volunteers speak to the Younger Teens about puberty and abstinence

*For information about our 2011 Fundraising Drive,

please visit our Donations page.*

The following post was written by

Doctors Gelane Workneh and Leah Scherzer, 

Paediatric AIDS Corps Doctors with the Baylor International Paediatric AIDS  Initiative

This June’s Teen Club in Gaborone was about a very sensitive and important subject…sex.  When teens are asked what topics they want to learn about at Teen Club, sexual issues are often first on the list.  There are numerous myths and misconceptions all over the world when it comes to sex.  This is especially true in a conservative country like Botswana where teachers, caregivers, and even some healthcare workers are reluctant to talk openly with teenagers, deeming this topic inappropriate and unnecessary for adolescents.  For teenage patients at the Botswana-Baylor Children’s Clinical Centre of Excellence (BBCCOE), a sex-education focused Teen Club forum where questions can be asked and myths and misconceptions can be corrected is the perfect opportunity to positively affect attitudes and thoughts.

In preparation for this discussion/forum, teens were notified a month earlier that the June Teen Club would be about sex, giving them enough time and opportunity to prepare questions. The team placed a visible box in the clinic for them to write down anonymous questions about sex and sexual health.

On the day of the event, teens were divided into the usual two groups (13-15 and 16-19 year olds).  For the younger teens we had 3 stations: playing games; dispelling myths; and a short discussion on puberty and importance of abstinence.   The teens rotated from station to station every 40 minutes.  There was concern that that some might not be mature enough for the topics, but once again they surprised us with their maturity, concentration, and engagement with the topic.

During the short discussion on puberty we taught them about the normal changes that the body goes through, as they get older, the importance of abstinence and the need for protection when abstinence is impossible. We also answered many of the questions they had about sexual issues and puberty.  During the myths/facts session the teens were given a myth and asked to go to the area of the courtyard corresponding to their feelings about the myth (true, false, or don’t know).   We then discussed the answers in detail, dispelling such myths as “two condoms are better than one” (two condoms are NOT better than one!) and “a girl cannot get pregnant if she has sex standing up” (She CAN!)  which are two common myths in Botswana.

The older teens had male and female condom demonstrations led by three wonderful volunteers from the Ministry of Health (MOH), who volunteered their time and expertise on a Saturday. Their experience is extensive – they have conducted demonstrations all overBotswanain many different settings from schools to community centers to other public gatherings.

Teens were divided based on gender, in an effort to encourage more open discussion and stimulate questions. Most were eager to share what they thought to be correct information about condoms and their use. The demonstrations certainly stimulated questions ranging from myths of pregnancy and changes the body goes through during puberty to more complex issues such as age of sexual debut and perceived ideas about the roles of a man and a woman in a relationship.

We ended the session by getting all the older teens together and answering their questions (both those they had placed in the question box and those which they came up with on the spot).  We appreciated the surprised gasps when reviewing normal male and female reproductive organs. Once encouraged these young men and women were eager to take the opportunity to ask and demystify concepts about sex and sexual health. Due to time constraints we were unable to answer every single question and will definitely have to have more sessions on this topic in the future.

All in all, the event went better than the team expected.  The teens were serious and mature about discussing the subject, even more so than many adults when placed in similar situations. By conducting this discussion, BBCCOE’s Teen Club once again assures our teens about its continued commitment to their healthy growth and development.  We felt their appreciation through their enthusiastic participation, eager concentration, and mature disposition.  An opportunity continues to present itself to this team to change and affect these teens towards positive living. YA CHESA!!

*Editors Note – The Teens as well as the Teen Club staff would like to bid a fond farewell to  Dr. Gelane and Dr. Leah as well as Dr. Premel. In their two years at the COE they treated us and cared for us. Not only as patients, but as friends. Their service to us Teens is more appreciated than they can possibly imagine.  We hope they continue to find success and fulfilment in all they pursue; We know they will never fail to make an impact as they have with us at Baylor. 

The following post was written by Peter Butzen,

US Peace Corps Volunteer and Teen Club Project Assistant.

On Friday June 24^th, 2011 , The First Lady of the United States of America, Mrs. Michelle Obama, helped Teen Club leaders paint a mural at the future site of the Botswana-Baylor COE Teen Club Adolescent Centre. The thrilling occasion will no doubt be remembered as the most electrifying event in Teen Club’s history.

The long-awaited moment became real as the enormous motorcade turned onto Hospital Way. The only thing louder than the wailing sirens of the police escort was the enthusiastic crowd at the Botswana-Baylor Children’s Clinical Centre of Excellence. Across the street, at the site of the Adolescent Centre to-be, Teen Club leaders’ insuppressible grins of excitement betrayed their otherwise cool demeanor. The mounting anticipation peaked as Professor Gabriel Anabwani approached the First Lady’s black SUV and welcomed Michelle Obama to the Adolescent Centre with a warm hug.

After introducing Mrs. Obama to some of the teens’ caregivers and explaining the planned Adolescent Centre, Professor Anabwani led the First Lady to the awaiting teens, who were anxiously anticipating their chance to work beside and speak with such an inspirational and extraordinary individual. While they painted together, Mrs. Obama spoke candidly with the teens about their dreams and aspirations; she offered some advice and shared words of encouragement.

Time seemed to pass in an instant and both the Teen Club leaders and the First Lady were reluctant for the visit to end. Mrs. Obama gave each of the adolescents affectionate hugs and then gathered the ensemble for a group photo. The teens then thanked her for visiting and presented her with Teen Club ya Chesa t-shirts for her, President Obama and the entire family.

Mrs. Obama was accompanied by her mother, Marian Robinson, and her two daughters, Malia and Sasha, as well as her niece and nephew, Leslie and Avery . The whole family displayed their artistic abilities as they all painted with the Teen Club representatives.  Disappointed that she did not have time to blend the colors in the sun she painted, Mrs. Obama mused that she and the family would have to return to finish the mural and to see the Adolescent Centre when completed.

If you are interested in donating to the Teen Club and specifically contributing to the construction of the Adolescent Centre – or finding out more information on other ways you can help, Email us at BotsBaylorAdolescentCentre@gmail.com .