“It’s going to be a wonderful year for us at BBL,” states Bana Ba Letsatsi coordinator Taboka.

In a short interview with the coordinator, she started by reminiscing about when she started at the rehabilitation centre. “One thing that makes me happy is when I came in last year around this time, I was wondering ‘what am I doing here?’ I only had 6 or seven staff members and one volunteer,” she says, “It was hard. It was hectic.” However, things have since turned around; BBL has 14 or 15 staff members and they also have volunteers.

One of these new positions is the ‘Head of Programs,’ which is run by Nametsegang. “All the programs we run are interlinked,” she states. Beyond rehabilitation, BBL is also actively involved in several other community initiatives. Working with Amplify Change, the organization is leading a project, ‘Creating a Healthy and Empowered Youth Community,’ aims to empower youth to make smart decisions.

Loren, a Peace Corps volunteer working on the event, explains that they go into ten schools throughout Maun and have ‘girl empowerment meetings.’ They talk about self esteem, advocacy, sexual reproductive health, provide youth friendly services, and encourage communication.

In addition to this project, BBL is also involved in a human rights project in coordination with NCONGO. With the limited staff in the past, BBL’s impact was limited. “We would juggle through different roles which was very tough,” says Nametsegang, “It was difficult for programs to run smoothly.” Now, BBL has a Head of Programs position to ensure that each individual program runs smoothly in line with BBL’s overall mandate.

2017 already looks like a promising year. “It looks like we are on track already,” says Nametsegang. This is largely due to the support from the community. “I’m very thankful for the support we are getting from different people, especially your office,” she says, “transporting children to and from BBL, that’s a huge relief on our part.” Nametsegang is referring to the community bus which transports kids to and from BBL on a daily basis. To her donors, she states, “We are really thankful for all the support we get and we are hopeful that you continue to support us in all the ways that you can!”