Edna's Educators was established by family and friends to celebrate Edna Orlins' 85th birthday, May 11, 2008. Rather than shower her with gifts, her family decided that establishing an educational fund for children would most lovingly celebrate this occasion by honoring Edna's life-long love for learning. Through years of volunteer tutoring, Edna proved that children blossom under the guidance of a caring teacher.

Edna's Educators will provide after-school tutoring for children in Gabane village, Botswana. This ongoing tutoring will give at-risk kids the edge they need to stay in school. Setso Project staff, village leaders and school teachers will work together to assure the fund reaches those kids who most need skilled support and guidance.

Just $60 per month will provide two children with after-school help and will also offer much-needed additional income for under-utilized teachers. Please join us in this exciting opportunity. We know that increasing learning opportunities within a child's village benefits the child, the extended family and the broader community.

The business skills training initiative is a natural and necessary extension of the craft training workshops at Otse Community Home Based Care and Tsholofelo Counseling and Support Centre. Local, hand-made crafts are a rarity in Botswana, which means that the opportunity to break into the market is there, but inexpensive imports from overseas present formidable competition. Local, expatriate and tourist consumers are all potential markets for hand-made crafts and learning the tools necessary to tailor products to the intended consumer, as well as basic business accounting techniques will be critical for transforming new skills into sustainable small businesses. Business training workshops will target trainees from OCHBC and Tsholofelo craft workshops as well as artisans from the broader community.

Project Beneficiaries:
Otse Community Home Based Care and
Tsholofelo Counseling and Support Centre

Meals With Care is one way you can join Setso Project in making sure that more orphans and AIDS patients will eat at least one nourishing meal today. With your help, orphan day-care centers can send children home with a full belly, easing the burden on surrogate families who take on the additional responsibility of providing homes for orphaned relatives and neighbors. And the orphaned children take pride in sharing leftovers from that meal with their "parents" and family, knowing that they can contribute back to those who have voluntarily and lovingly stepped-in for the parents they have lost. AIDS care centers in Botswana do so much with so little. By providing patients with a place to pass their day in the company of caring women, they help the ill by doing for them what they can no longer do for themselves. Your donation, in any amount, to Meals With Care will provide nourishing, daily meals so critical for maintaining their strength and hope during these challenging days.

Project Beneficiaries:
Kgothatso Orphan Care and
Otse Community Home Based Care

In order to provide adequate comfort and care for the terminally ill, Home Based Care centers (HBCs) in Botswana must have an adequate stockpile of medical supplies. These supplies are meant to be available for free from government suppliers but are often out of stock. While ultimately it is necessary find a long term solution to this problem, HBCs centers need an immediate answer. Setso Project would like to be able to help HBCs to develop a stock of supplies for use when government supplies run low. We feel it’s imperative for the centers to have their own stock at all times.

Project Beneficiaries:
Otse Community Home Based Care

In January of 2006 we introduced jewelry making to a group of clients and staff at Otse Community Home Based Care and at Tsholofelo Counseling and Support Centre. Since January, Setso Project funds have purchased sewing machines, jewelry making and other craft supplies and visiting volunteers have taught workshops in fabric painting, sewing, and knitting. The groundwork has been put in place for more a sustained craft-making program that will emphasize the importance quality and marketability of designs. With ongoing support we hope to turn this groundswell of enthusiasm for permanent craft workshops into a sustained craft business development program.

Project Beneficiaries:
Otse Community Home Based Care and
Tsholofelo Counseling and Support Centre

Photo gallery

Setso Project plans to introduce Village Movie Nights! We intend to show PG movies on DVDs to younger audiences (6-20 years old) in outdoor venues with little or no infrastructure. There are few entertainment opportunities for most young people, particularly kids from poorer families, and we feel that having a Friday and Saturday night entertainment option will keep kids out of bars and out of trouble.

This new program needs upfront funding of about $1,200 to purchase a DVD projector capable of lighting up an 8’x10’ screen (side of a building or a wall). Thereafter, our costs are expected to be quite low as we hope that a plentiful supply of DVDs can be sourced from donations. The primary expenses will revolve around personnel and support for them.

We expect this program will be very popular with young people and families alike and will build local support for our other Setso programs.

Project Beneficiaries:
Tsholofelo Counseling and Support Centre