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  Botswana

Term: Summer 
Dates: 7 weeks: early June - mid-July

Description: The goal of the Community Public Health summer program is to provide students with an introduction to basic healthcare issues in Botswana. Through coursework, a community health practicum, homestays, and a rich and challenging social environment, students gain a holistic appreciation and understanding of health and healthcare in Botswana. Additionally, the program aims to equip students with basic Setswana language speaking skills through a communicative and interactive approach to language learning which ensures that students have the basic language skills to engage the local communities.

Academic Program
This seven-week program consists of five weeks of coursework, a language and culture practicum, and a weeklong field placement in a rural clinic. Students also engage in an urban community service practicum in and around Gaborone as part of the academic curriculum. Students gain a holistic appreciation and understanding of health and healthcare, and obstacles to achieving it in Botswana. Additionally, the program aims to equip students with basic Setswana speaking skills.

Academic Culture
The University of Botswana (UB) is a relatively young institution and, like other universities in the region, has limited resources compared to most U.S. colleges and universities.

The summer courses have been designed by CIEE in conjunction with the University of Botswana's Department of Environmental Health. All coursework is conducted in English with the exception of the Setswana Language and Culture Practicum. Students should be prepared for a style of teaching that is more formal, technical in style, may rely solely on lectures, and may emphasize memorization. Readings are typically assigned in class. The practicum may involve independent research, hands-on training, journal writing, and presentations. Most courses at the University of Botswana utilize a continuous assessment model including written assignments, projects, research exercises, essays, and written and oral examinations. Students are graded on a percentage scale, a letter grade (A-F), and a grade point scale. The Language and Culture Practicum and the Community Health Practicum are assessed through student journals, classroom and field-based projects, and presentations.

Students take the Public and Environmental Health course every morning (M-F) for two hours per day. The Community Health Practicum combines lectures and a local service practicum and includes a week at a rural Botswana health clinic. The practicum features a mix of lectures, tutorials, seminars, and field work.

Highlights:

• Community health practicum in rural health clinics
  
• Urban community service project
  
• Innovative course that examines HIV/AIDS and other community health issues in Botswana
  
• Work with local public health experts
  
• Cultural activities and excursions in and around Gaborone

Culture
Cultural Activities and Field Trips
The program includes guided visits to sites of historic and cultural importance in and around Gaborone including a weekend camping trip to Mmankgodi Village and a safari drive in the Mokolodi Nature Reserve.

Additionally, students can go on an optional field trip either to the Okavango River Delta or Chobe National Park in the northern parts of the country. This optional field trip occurs at the end of the program and requires an additional fee.

Subject Areas: Foreign Language, Health Administration and Public Health

Cost in US$: Please check the CIEE website for current program

Cost Includes: The CIEE fee for 2009 includes an optional on-site airport meet and greet, full-time leadership and support, tuition, housing and meals, orientation, cultural activities, local excursions, pre-departure advising, and a CIEE iNext card which provides insurance and other travel benefits.

Experience Required: yes

* Overall GPA 2.75
* College-level coursework in public health recommended

This Program is open to Worldwide Participants. .

Typical Living Arrangements: Home-stays and Independent living

Participants Travel to Botswana Independently

Scholarships Are Available. - We have several scholarships that students can apply for. Contact CIEE for details.

Application Process Involves:

• Letters of Reference
• Other
• Transcript
• Written Application

CIEE's Mission Statement: Since 1947, the Council on International Educational Exchange, known as CIEE, has been in pursuit of its mission, "to help people gain understanding, acquire knowledge, and develop skills for living in a globally interdependent and culturally diverse world." Our services to young people studying, working, teaching, and traveling abroad are more important than ever. As we look ahead, we reaffirm our commitment to the principles and values that guide this mission statement.

Year Founded: 1947