Centre for Youth of Hope (CEYOHO), Botswana

My name is Alison Everitt and I was working as a Resource Mobilization Intern at the Centre for Youth of Hope [CEYOHO]. My placement was arranged by Uniterra – a program jointly offered by the World University Service of Canada [WUSC] and the Centre for International Studies and Cooperation [CECI] – and was for a period of three months in Gaborone, Botswana. CEYOHO is a small, non-governmental organization that focuses on improving the lives of young people living with HIV in Botswana. It is also committed to contributing towards the nationally stated target of zero new HIV infections by 2016.

During my time at CEYOHO I was responsible for looking for funding opportunities for a number of CEYOHO’s projects and initiatives. Additionally, I was asked to look into how CEYOHO could become more sustainable and less dependent on the funding brought in for special projects. While most of my work centered on finding potential resources and developing requests for donors, I was also able to participate in a lot of other activities that helped to expand my understanding of the work being done in Botswana with regards to HIV/AIDS. From national workshops to small training sessions held in a local village, I was able to take part in high level meetings to ‘on the ground’ community work during my time in Gaborone. My time at CEYOHO opened my eyes to the struggles and successes that a small NGO will face while working in the HIV/AIDS sector. It was an invaluable experience and one that has greatly influenced my goals for what I hope to do in my future work. I would like to thank the Centre for Youth of Hope, Uniterra, and WUSC Botswana for giving me this amazing opportunity.