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- The Nata Village blog. A unique opportunity to witness the battle to control the spread of HIV/AIDS in an African village
The Nata Village blog. A unique opportunity to witness the battle to control the spread of HIV/AIDS in an African village
Voting Summary (Elevator Pitch):
Nata, Botswana is a village of hope. Donations from the blog:
http://natavillage.org are used to help the 400 orphans, people living with HIV/AIDS, Nata clinic, and a youth group.
Supporting organization:
Nata AIDS and Orphan Trust
URL:
http://natavillage.typepad.com
City:
Nata
Country:
Botswana
Project Vision Statement & Potential Social Impact:
The Nata AIDS and Orphan Trust will use donations from its website www.natavillage.org to improve the lives of the 5,500 community members in Nata, Botswana as well as the surrounding remote villages of Manxotae, Sepako, and Maposa. The Trust will support people and programs that assist the 400 Nata orphans and people living with HIV/AIDS. We are committed to improving the health of all villagers and will support the Nata Clinic and Mabogo Arts and Culture Productions (a group that provides HIV/AIDS education). (Watch MABOGO sing!)
Additional objectives of the trust are:
1. Allow website readers the opportunity to witness first hand the battle to control the spread of HIV/AIDS in a remote African village.
2. Reduce village poverty by using the website as a marketing tool to promote cultural tourism
3. Assist Nata businesses by giving them exposure on the internet
4. Promote a zero transmission lifestyle
Long term goals of the trust are:
1. Build a youth activity center which would provide support to Nata’s orphans
2. Build a support center for people living with AIDS
We have already had a positive social impact on the village. As we grow, the impact on the community will grow. We will continue to encourage people to live openly with AIDS and help to reduce stigma and discrimination. Since the birth of the website, record numbers of people are living openly with the disease and many are willing to share their stories with the world.
Sustainability (financial) model:
The trust is currently being managed by a 6 member local board of trustees with technical advice from a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer. This project was started with no outside funding. Office space, internet connection and most of the overhead is currently being donated by a local Nata businessman. The Peace Corps volunteer is training members of the board of trustees on how to manage the trust and make updates to the website. We are in the process of reaching out to corporations in Botswana to sponsor our website. When the Peace Corps Volunteer leaves Nata, the trust will need to hire a trust manager. We will look to corporate sponsorships for paying the salary of the future trust manager. Nata is located on the busy highway that links Capetown, South Africa with Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. There is only one lodge in Nata and it is often overbooked. Nata is a popular overnight destination with travelers heading to Victoria Falls and the Okavango Delta. We’ve already arranged for two travelers to stay with local villagers for $20 per night. We plan to offer this service on our website and 10% of the proceeds will be returned to the trust.
Potential obstacles:
Our biggest obstacle is our slow internet connection and our inability to send videos via the internet. The three videoblogs and documentary currently available on the site were uploaded outside of Botswana. We’ve been online for 13 months. It used to take us one hour to upload one post (mostly due to being cut off) but the service has improved over the past 6 months. It would be an enormous obstacle if our server reverted back to the way it was one year ago.
Resource Needs:
The website was designed at no charge by Jon Rawlinson, a Canadian, who was traveling through Nata and offered to help the village. Jon has since signed over the ownership of the website to the Nata AIDS and Orphan Trust. We need technical training on how to manage the website. Jon continues to be available to us via the internet and is our volunteer webmaster but we need skills in Nata. We also need our own office, phone line, and office equipment. We need assistance in marketing our site to reach the greatest number of people.
Key Milestones:
Our project is already 13 months old. To date we have raised over U.S. $11,000 from website donors. We have spent nearly U.S. $8,000 on the following items:
1. Laptop computer, digital camera, and memory stick for use by the trust
2. Sound system and generator for Mabogo Arts and Culture Productions, an out of work youth group that provides HIV/AIDS education throughout the village. WATCH MABOGO SING!
3. Transport money for people living with AIDS to reach the ARV clinic
4. Benches and fans for Nata clinic
5. Protective clothing for Nata Clinic
6. 2 Otoscopes for Nata Clinic
7. Uniforms for PLWA support group
8. Clothes and toiletries for orphans A
And more….
Our plans for the next 90 days include:
1. Preparing a proposal for First National Bank to be our first corporate sponsor. Their board meeting is June 13th, and Nata Village is promised to be on the agenda.
2. Continue to coordinate a fundraising project being organized by one of our website readers in Hong Kong. Nikki visited Nata sometime back and is working with a group that is seeking support on our behalf.
3. Make arrangements to contact Debswana, Kgalikgadi Breweries, and Bot Ash for future corporate sponsorship.
4. The board of trustees is meeting April 16th to discuss the need for a community wide meeting to discuss the progress of the Trust.
5. We will hold an annual general meeting with all stakeholders and give our annual report.
6. Continue to distribute donations to the community given by Flamingo school in Sowa Town.
7. Make a presentation to Nata Clinic of two otoscopes (used to check the ears, nose of throats of patients) that have just arrived.
8. Continue to photograph and blog on the activities that are occurring in the battle to fight HIV/AIDS
Project Summary:
On March 4, 2006, Nata made history by becoming the first village in Botswana with a website. The site is a unique opportunity for the reader to witness the battle to control the spread of HIV/AIDS in an African village. Botswana has the second highest HIV infection rate in the world (37% for ages 15-49). The co-founders, a Canadian traveler, a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer, and a local businessman were all frustrated that millions of dollars pour into Botswana due to the AIDS pandemic yet little money reaches remote villages like Nata. The site www.natavillage.org offers the visitor 3 videoblogs, a 10 minute documentary (WATCH NOW), over 350 flickr photos and a blog that gives the reader an intimate look into the lives of the villagers. The reader is given the opportunity to donate directly to the village and the funds are managed transparently by a local 6 member board of trustees with very little overhead cost. The donor can see the results of their generosity through regular photos of what is purchased. People living with AIDS (PLWA’s) in Nata must travel 60 miles to reach the ARV (anti-retroviral ) clinic. Many can’t afford the $4.00 bus fare. The trust provides transportation money for all members of the PLWA support group to reach their life saving ARV’s. The trust also purchased a sound system and generator for an out of school youth group that provides vital HIV/AIDS educational activities to Nata and the surrounding villages. We hope to serve as a model for other villages and change the way aid is distributed in the developing world.
Comments
I agree and fully support
I agree and fully support for your goals and I wish your goals will success!!...Please also do internationally, not only at the specific country. It will be great if you do so. Additionally, please provide housing for them and fun positive activites for them.
Regards,
Rasya Pazka
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In support of Nata projects
I fully support the goals, objectives and activities of this project.
The Nata Blog
While many of these worthy projects hope to help African villages they are doing so outside of Africa. Our project is located in a remote village in Botswana and we, the local people are making the decisions on how we can best use the assistance. The website is owned by the village. We hope to be a model for other villages and help get aid directly to a village by those who live there. Thank you so much for your support. A special thank you to Jon Rawlinson for providing us with the technical assistance to make this happen.
Seloma Tiro, Chairman, Nata AIDS and Orphan Trust