As the Johannesburg Training Manager for Paradigm Shift, a large part of my job is helping to train local volunteers to serve as Business Trainers within our program. Business Trainers facilitate all of our business training materials for our entrepreneurs, including: the Business Experience Course, the Business Growth Course, and the Business Advancement Course. Our Business Trainers are all business professionals with a wide range of business experience and an incredible heart to serve the poor entrepreneurs of Johannesburg. It has been such a blessing to work with them and to play a part in this ministry.
Starting this month, I am sending out a monthly publication called, Business Trainer Times. The purpose of this newsletter is to help the trainers feel connected to one another, to suggest facilitation tips and to serve as a reminder of why we do what we do.
Below you will find the first issue of the Business Trainer Times : ) Click on the image to read the newletter!
Tammy and me posing with the "Botswana Society" sign
One of the best parts about living and working in South Africa is having the opportunity to visit other southern African nations. I absolutely LOVE to travel and experience new cultures, so it has been such a blessing to be able to spend time exploring this new and different continent : )
This past weekend my roommate and I, along with our friends Dave and Greg, made the 5 hour trek to the capital of Botswana, Gaborone (pronounced Haa-Bore-Own-Eh by the locals). Botswana is an interesting study of a post-colonial sub-Saharan African country. Earning its independence from the British in 1966, Botswana has been one of the most stable (and least corrupt) countries in all of Africa. According to the U.S. State Department, since gaining its independence, Botswana has had one of the fastest growth rates in per capita income in the world. I don’t want to give you the wrong impression…Gaborone is a fairly small town, and there were probably only half a dozen buildings with more than four floors… However, there did seem to be an encouraging level of equality amongst the residents of Botswana–as opposed to the vast disparities we experience here in South Africa.
Overall, we found the people to be WONDERFULLY hospitable and we thoroughly enjoyed our leisurely weekend in Gaborone! …now I just can’t wait for my next adventure!!
Greg and me preparing to eat a southern African delicacy...mopani worms!
Last weekend a few friends and I took a little roadtrip to Swaziland : ) Swaziland is a fascinating country; it’s completely landlocked (surrounded by South Africa and Mozambique), and it’s one of the last true monarchies on earth.
The drive was just over five hours and the terrain was absolutely beautiful! It was great to get outside Jozi and experience a little bit of rural Africa. We spent about half our time in Mbabane (the capital city) and the rest of our time hiking in the Ngwempisi Gorge.
