Botswana Gudigwa Students

Last year, some of you generously started sponsoring three young people from northern Okavango to study a Chef course at the well-recognised Career Dreams Training Centre in Maun, Botswana.

Nthusang, Baleseng, and Katlo all come from the very remote Gudigwa Village in NG/12, which is in the panhandle area of the Okavango Delta. Shaped like the handle of a frying pan, the Panhandle is where the Okavango River enters Botswana before dispersing across the fan of the Okavango Delta. In this area of just over 8,000 square kilometres, there are around 15,000 people and 15,000 elephants who sometimes come into conflict with each other. Their village is made up of roughly 700 people.

They all wanted to study the course not only because they wanted to become professional chefs but also because they wanted to help their families, and this sponsorship came to them (and their families) as a direct benefit from living alongside Elephants in NG/12. Above was a photo of them in their fresh uniforms when they started their course last year, after they travelled down from Gudiwa.

Now, Nthusang, Baleseng, and Katlo have just finished their theory course and are all doing their placements at hotels and lodges in and around Maun.

Nthusang is at Maun Lodge and said that the course taught her a lot of theory that she is getting to use during her placement. Her favourite dishes to cook are now Devilled Eggs, Chicken Curry with Rice and Green Salad and Carrot Cake. She said she hopes that in a few years time, she will “be a Master Chef and own a small restaurant back home at Gudigwa, employing my sister and peers of my community.”

Nthusang now: