Botswana

Promise:

Tsholofetso ya Bokaedi

Ke solofetsa gore ke tlaa dira bojotlhe jwa me:
Go direla Modimo tshwanelo ya me,
Go direla lefatshe la gaetsho le go thusa batho ba bangwe le
Go tshegetsa molao wa Bokaedi.

Girl Guide Promise

I promise that I will do my best:
To do my duty to God,
To serve my country and to help other people, and
To keep the Guide Law.

Sunbeam Promise

Ke solofetsa gore ke tlaa dira bojotlhe jwa me: Go direla Modimo tshwanel o ya me,
Go direla lefatshe la gaetsho le go
thusa batho ba bangwe; le
Go tshegetsa molao wa Marang a Letsatsi.

Sunbeam Promise

I promise that I will do my best:
To do my duty to God,
To serve my country and to help other people; and
To keep the Sunbeam Law.

Law:

Melao ya Bokaedi

1 Mokaedi o boineelo, gape o ka ikanngwa.

2 Mokaedi o na le thuso.

3 Mokaedi o maitseo, gape o a akanyetsa.

4 Mokaedi o na le botsalano, e bile ke ngwana wa ga mma-Bakaedi ba bangwe.

5 Mokaedi o pelotlhomogi mo diphologolong gape o dibela dilo tsotlhe tse di tshelang.

6 Mokaedi o na le kutlo.

7 Mokaedi o pelokgale e bile o nna pelotshweu mo gare ga mathata otlhe.

8 Mokaedi o sola nako ya gagwe molemo.

9 Mokaedi o tlhokomela ditsa-gagwe le tsa batho ba bangwe.

10 Mokaedi o ikefa mo go tsotlhe tse o di akanyang, tse o di buang le tse o di dirang

Girl Guide Law

1 A Guide is loyal and can be trusted.

2 A Guide is helpful.

3 A Guide is polite and considerate.

4 A Guide is friendly and a sister to every other Guide.

5 A Guide is kind to animals and respects all living things.

6 A Guide is obedient.

7 A Guide has courage and is cheerful in all difficulties.

8 A Guide makes good use of her time.

9 A Guide takes care of her own possessions and those of other people.

10 A Guide is self-controlled in all she thinks, says and does.

Sunbeam Law

Lerang la Letsatsi le boammaaruri, le boikokobetso, le tletse boitumelo,
Lerang la Letsatsi le akanyetsa ba bangwe pele le ikgopola.

Sunbeam Law

A Sunbeam is truthful, obedient and cheerful,
A Sunbeam thinks of others before herself.

Motto:

Sekao - Nna o ipaakantse

Girl Guide Motto - Be Prepared

Sunbeam Motto - Kwa godimo – dimo – dimo

Sunbeam Motto - Up, up, upwards

Age groups:

Senior 16-21

Girl Guide 11-15

Sunbeam 7-10

Development of the movement:

Guiding in Botswana (then called Bechuanaland Protectorate) began in 1924 after a young girl, returning home to Kanye from boarding school in England, contacted other girls and interested them in the Movement. The Poppy patrol, with six members, was formed and by the end of the year a Brownie six had also started.

In 1928 a company of Girl Wayfarers, an organization for African girls working on similar lines to Guiding, was started by the wife of a missionary living in Kanye. Numbers grew steadily and interest in the Movement spread throughout the country. In 1936 the Girl Wayfarers, by affiliation with WAGGGS, became Wayfarer Guides, and by 1945 there was one Movement for all the girls in Botswana whose members were known as Girl Guides and Sunbeams. The Guide Association (UK), the Girl Guides Association of South Africa and members of the Movement in Belgium gave valuable training assistance to the developing Movement in Botswana.

In 1966 the country became independent and the Guide Association (UK) approved a deed of transfer making the Botswana Girl Guides Association self-governing in all areas of work.

Programme:

The Association uses an eight-point programme under the headings keeping fit, becoming a homemaker, giving service, keeping the Guide Law, getting to know people, enjoying the outdoors, thinking for oneself, and exploring the arts.

Relationship to society:

The Association operates two centres offering skills training to school-leavers in Serowe and Gaborone, which aim to help girls, mostly from rural areas, to be self-sufficient and to support themselves on a self-employed basis. Instruction is offered in food and nutrition, sewing, crafts, laundry work and home management, as well as English. Some local hotels use the Gaborone Centre students when catering for major events. They have also been used by the Health Clinics when they have special activities, such as publicizing the AIDS Campaign.

The Bakaedi Literacy School for children was introduced in 1976, and more than 200 children have attended, to take up places in schools within the regular education system. The Association is often asked to perform traditional dances, issue programmes and clean up at National Celebrations.

Communication and Co-operation

The Botswana Girl Guides Association corresponds with several Girl Guide/Girl Scout Associations and has sent representatives to international training events and gatherings. In addition, the Gabarone Girl Guides Youth Centre is a product of a twinning relationship with Girl Guides in New Brunswick, Canada.

The activities of the Association are reported in the national press and on the radio, as well as publicized through a biennial newsletter. The Botswana Girl Guides Association is a member of the Youth Council and co-operates with the Red Cross Society, the YWCA, Botswana Christian Council, Botswana Council of Women and other voluntary governmental, and non-governmental organizations. It is also a member of the committee co-ordinated by the Women’s Affairs Unit of the Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs, under which non-governmental organizations are listed.

Training:

Training is ongoing, and needs to increase. The Executive Committee has decided to review training and camping. The Senior Branch is targeted to reflect renewed support from secondary schools. Guiding is still scattered all over the country, and adult leaders are in demand.

Outdoor and Environmental Activities

There are many droughts in Botswana and The Association continues to support tree-planting activities; some groups of Sunbeams have been working on the Water is Life project.

* Information compiled in 1994