Kalahari San Safari, Botswana

INVITATION

"REACH OUT AFRICA"
(Humanitarian & Empowerment Aid)

 

 

 “Kalahari San Safari”

 New Xanagas, Botswana

 

“Reach Out” & help isolated disadvantaged hurting and needy Kalahari San (Bushman) communities

Over a 100 000 Kalahari San (Bushman) still live in the Kalahari Desert in South Africa, Namibia and Botswana. One of these San Communities have begun with a Business & Empowerment plan to start a Values-based Cultural & Educational Training Centre in the Ghanzi District, Botswana. The Training Centre will work towards offering business & empowerment opportunities to isolated San and other communities in SA, Namibia and Botswana by offering easily accessible education & training facilities in Christian Ministry/Evangelism, life skills, sustainable farming, tourism & hospitality, arts & culture, business management, sport development & training and various other fields.

www.african-rock-art.com / www.paintingangles.blogspot.com

 

San communities need your help and hereby invite you to “Reach Out” on a “Kalahari San Safari” to the San Village of New Xanagas, Botswana.

 

Spend your next family holiday with the “Kalahari San”. Camp among the San and experience their current lifestyle as well as be entertained in a traditional San village with stories of the rich heritage and culture, hunting & gathering stories. Learn about herbs, plants and food found in nature and how to make fire, while being entertained with traditional San music, singing and dancing.

All visitors and guests are welcome and are encouraged to walk through the village and visit, chat and interact with the people. By prior arrangement a guide / translator can be arranged to accompany you. Many younger residents speak English or Afrikaans but most speak Setswana, Naro or Herero.

"Hullo Sir" = "Dumela Raa"
"Hulo Mrs/Miss" = "Dumela Ma / Me".
Remember this is the heart of the Kalahari Desert. Take a torch/light with you at night and wear shoes. Be aware of scorpions at night and snakes in summer. When walking / hiking in surrounding bush do not wander of to far, as you can very easily get lost – stick to pathways/roads and use the telecom tower in the Village as a beacon. Although this is the Kalahari desert, it is not only desert sand but many trees, bushes and shrubs. Internet and cell phone reception is good in the village – many Bushman have cell phones. We have a manned Police Station in the village and medical assistance is available at the village clinic with a staff of two qualified Nurses (one in gap year studying to be a Doctor).

 

How to plan a “Reach Out” Kalahari San Safari?

As a result of the isolation of many Kalahari San Villages, the San live in utmost poverty. They urgently need humanitarian assistance and guidance/training to enable them to acquire a lasting sustainable future and livelihood. Your help to visit, assist, teach or train in your specific field, profession or talent will be greatly appreciated.

You can start a “Reach Out” by deciding on a date (normally a school holiday), informing your family, friends, home group, school, church, business, club, community and all your contacts of your intended “Reach Out”. Inform all to collect much needed clothing household items, etc - see list below.  Inform all that on the “Kalahari San Safari” and during your stay in the San Village, they can assist the San through labour in building homes/shelters, teaching, training, visiting, helping the sick and old, playing & teaching sport/games, praying and worshipping etc. When you have decided on a date for your Safari please inform us and we will contact you to assist with finalising finer details. We will also have a list of any group that may accompany you and/or groups that can travel together. Depending on the responce and if you do receive many donations and lack storage space, the plan is that you inform us and we will arrange for collection/storage.

 

If there is positive interest for a “Kalahari San Safari”, we suggest you elect/choose a Tour Co-ordinator /Team Leader, Assistant Team Leader, Cooking Team co-ordinator (will be responsible for the team/group food/menus) and a Logistics/donations co-ordinator.  

The vision is that "Reach Out Africa” Kalahari San Safaris, will be arranged and co-ordinated from Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg and Pretoria and “Reach Out Africa” convoys will collect donations from specified organising teams/groups/storage facilities.

Safari & Camping/Accommodation

Normally a bakkie or 4x4 vehicle and trailer is needed to travel in the Kalahari, but as the Village of New Xanagas is situated on a gravel road, 45 km from the tarred Trans Kalahari Highway, a normal motor vehicle and trailer will reach New Xanagas without any difficulty. The current campsite for “Reach Out” teams are on the New Xanagas secondary school ground (limited electricity/solar power), school ablutions (showers & flush toilets) and use of school kitchen facilities. No fridges or stoves are available and all cooking is done with gas or on a fire.

 

Bring

Passport and ID – South African citizens do not need a Visa to visit Botswana. Make sure your passport is in order and up to date. You are allowed a three months visit in Botswana on your passport.

Tent and camp equipment – gas/solar/battery cooking equipment/fridge, chairs, stretchers, sleeping bags/blankets, buckets for washing, water bottles, containers for water, cooking utensils, lamps, torch, matches, first aid kit…etc (plenty of fire wood available)

Personal / Clothing – pack summer and winter clothing, raincoat, hiking shoes, towels, hats, sun-block, sun glasses, etc

The Kalahari days can be very warm (40degrees) and the nights can be very cold (–6 degrees). Rainy season (August to February). Malaria - The area that we are in is not a high-risk malaria area therefore precautions are not needed. Many people however do take preventative medication as they tend to travel or tour further into tropical areas of Botswana. Ask your GP.

Food / Groceries / Toiletries – Bring your own drinking water and containers for keeping borehole water (washing-up / cooking). Bring mostly pre-packed instant food, cans/containers/long life milk/milk powder/condensed milk etc. Do not bring fresh vegetables, fruit or meat – as a result of the possible outbreak of fruit fly and foot-and-mouth disease these items will be confiscated on the Botswana border. We will assist you in buying fruit/vegetables and meat from Spar/Food wholesalers at the closest town, Ghanzi (160km from New Xanagas). Bring toothpaste, soaps, shampoo, toilet paper, refuse bags etc.   

 

Explore and Tour further

We always suggest that “Reach Out” families/teams/groups make the most of their visit and depending on time and budget, should take a round trip and visit The Okavango Delta, the Caprivi (Namibia), Chobe National Park & Forest Reserve, Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe) and or the Central Kalahari Game Reserve. Travellers from Cape Town can enjoy many wonderful and interesting camping and tour opportunities en-route through Namibia as well.

Routes & Distance

As a result of the long distance, it is not possible to travel through to New Xanagas from South Africa in one day and particularly if there is a convoy of vehicles. We suggest that “Reach Out” groups/teams sleep over half way to New Xanagas and arrive on the second day of travel. There are many affordable camp sites/B&B’s/lodges/motels en route to Botswana and we suggest that teams/groups plan and book theire trip accordingly in advance.

Cape Town to New Xanagas (Via Namibia – Windhoek)

1^st day          Cape Town to Windhoek       = 1 450km (sleep over)

2^nd day          Windhoek to New Xanagas  =    390km

                                                     Total      = 1 840km

As you are travelling through Namibia you also only need a passport. You will pay

R 250 (250 Namibian dollar) road tax at the Namibia border per car/bakkie/trailer. You will also pay R 180 (180 Pula) road tax at Botswana border per car/bakkie/trailer.

JHB/PTA to New Xanagas (Via Zeerust - Skilpads gate border post)

1^st day          Jhb / Pta to Kang                     =     653km (sleep over) 

2^nd day         Kang to New Xanagas             =     386km

                                             Total                 = 1 039km

 

Your interest in our efforts is much appreciated and if you need any further advice or assistance in this regard please feel free to contact us.

Please help us by collecting all your unused or old household items from your family, friends, church, bible study or cell groups, business or work.

The people in most San Villages live in extreme poverty and many rely on government support and handouts. Your visit to their community means so much to them and to avoid misunderstandings and/or favouritism during your visit all visitors/teams/groups must adhere to well-organised and stipulated guidelines and procedures through the “Reach Out Africa” Office. When visiting in the village please do not give / hand out food / sweets / clothing to the community, many children will ask/beg. All handouts, donations and humanitarian aid must be well co-ordinated and all donations and offers of assistance must be done and offered through the “Reach Out Africa” office. During your stay specific “Reach Out” hand–out programs/days will be in place where visiting teams/groups will have an opportunity to assist all in the community.

WE URGENTLY NEED!!!

Clothing, shoes, blankets, any sport equipment (cricket sets, tennis, soccer, rugby balls), musical instruments, electrical appliances/equipment, any building material/tools, shade-net for temporary shelter/homes, office furniture /equipment /computers /printers, Christian /music & nature DVD’s, Bibles, books, pens, pencils, art materials /equipment. Any unwanted items are welcome.

CONTACT: MARTIN ERASMUS

                      "REACH OUT AFRICA"

Email: martin@art-me-africa.com / www.paintingangles.blogspot.com /
           www.KalahriSan.blogspot.com  

Mobile: SA +27 79 605 1049 – Botswana + 267 738 73730.

“So then, as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without actions/works is dead” (James 2:26)

LOVE MADE VISIBLE !

THE GREATEST COMMAND

LOVE!

 

On a recent retreat in the Western Cape with OCS – The Order of Christian Service, all attending home and field workers were treated with a bible study course (The heart of true faith) and faith revival/transformation DVD’s. We studied “The heart of faith – Loving God and others”. God’s LOVE is, will be and has been the main theme of life; it’s all about LOVE. We saw evidence that dedicated prayer creates an appetite for true spiritual revival and LOVE in churches, communities, business and governments.

 LOVE is the full measure of God’s Kingdom on earth. We saw how ongoing dedicated and committed prayer and LOVE for one another, transformed communities, villages, cities and nations and completely erased the negative effects of greed, corruption, hunger, poverty, alcohol and drug abuse and much more. 

 “And He said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘you shall love your neighbour as yourself’. On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets”.

 - Matthew 22:37-40 -

 

As a Christian it is your created calling and responsibility to LOVE your neighbour and Reach Out to Others. Countless calls for help to missionaries/churches/faith-based organisations are received annually to help many hurting and needy communities and become more outreach-oriented. Then, when help is offered, people exert a minimal amount of effort to continue what God places as a top priority. Reaching out to others isn't something we should pay lip service to. It should be a top priority of living as a Christian.                      

It takes determination and commitment to stretch ourselves to show LOVE and help others, but that's how God wants us to live. God says that when you truly give and pour yourself out for others, He will use you. "Your light shall dawn in the darkness and your darkness shall be as the noonday" (Isaiah 58:10).
If you reach beyond your own situation and bring Christ's love to others, the circumstances you face will fade away and disappear. And you'll experience the wondrous joy of making a difference where it counts.

From the book Painting Angels (an ongoing testimony) –

Over the past four years I have experienced so much of God’s LOVE through all the tragedies, and in the joy, beauty and power of creation. How we LOVE and treat each other can affect our minds, bodies and souls and it is therefore clear and a simple fact that LOVE is really what this life is about. The characteristic of LOVE is spontaneity. In looking back we cannot tell why we did certain things, we did them according to the spontaneous nature of God’s LOVE in us.

Accept God’s LOVE and share it in your life. The only way to do this to seek to lead an exemplary life filled with LOVE which can only be found through the Spirit and originates in man’s inner being. Divine qualities are the only answer and it is our duty as God’s children/spiritual beings to protect and preserve the beauty of God’s Creation/Master Painting – our spiritual being and the Kingdom of God. The most basic and simple thing is to realise that God is and will always be in control of your life, human and spiritual, and that you have no option, but to accept his Divine LOVE and trust Him unconditionally. OK, you have an option, if you want one “your will be done” - to become your own creator master, like many of us do. You can continue to live a carefree life filled with many superficial pleasures, lots of money, greed and possessions – the result can only be disaster and all is temporary. All work every day and every moment of our life should be an act of LOVE / WORSHIP.

LOVE Yourself

“You shall love your neighbour as yourself”.

- Matthew 22:39 -

Many years ago I had art classes and when we arrived for class one day, each student was placed in front of a mirror and we were told to draw a self-portrait. The art teacher warned us that many people find it very difficult to study and sketch themselves in such detail for a few hours. To look/study at and into your own eyes and then draw them was the most difficult. If you search and look long enough, you will find your soul. One lady in that class started crying and could not complete the task. Now I know many of you will laugh. Over and above my Morning Prayer and time with God I found an exercise that helps me to reach my soul quite easily. In the beginning I did burst out laughing most of the times and hoped no one heard or saw me, as they would surely think I am crazy. Sometimes I am also rushed and found that when I brush my teeth in the morning I look in the mirror into my own eyes and say “morning my Angel, how are you today?” Once you stop smiling or laughing or crying, take a moment and continue to look into your own eyes, examine them, see the colours, the emotion, look long enough and wonderful things happen.    

 When the eyes of the soul that are looking out, meet the eyes of God looking in, heaven has begun right here on earth.

A.W.Tozier.

When you allow the external pressures or enjoyments of life to rob you of your core self, when you no longer dedicate only 20 minutes a day to speak your heart out to your Creator, when you have no time for the essence of it all, you will soon lose touch with the notion that you ever had any innocence to lose. You may no longer know the reason or meaning of life.

It is painful to lose things in life (your work, job, home, physical possessions). It is far more painful to lose people/loved ones in life (divorce, death). But the worst pain of all is when we lose our connection with the reality of life and our Father God.  We simply cannot afford to lose our souls. None of us can afford to sacrifice our few intimate moments of prayer and communion with our Creator because of other responsibilities or pleasures. For without this relationship, we might one day look in the mirror and observe a living body encasing a dead soul.

 

CREATION AND WORK IS LOVE MADE VISIBLE

GOD IS LOVE