Clouds water sky
Gaborone, Botswana

Leadership & Service in Public Health

Social Change

Dates

-

3 weeks

Costs

$5,450

Highlights

Daily activities and excursions

Immersion with a host family

Leadership skills

Service-learning (50 hrs)

Application Deadline

Enroll Now

Request Information

Dates

-

3 weeks

Costs

$5,450

Highlights

Daily activities and excursions

Immersion with a host family

Leadership skills

Service-learning (50 hrs)

Application Deadline

Enroll Now

Request Information

Overview
Join forces with local organizations in Legon to assess community needs and promote public health. 

Public health is the science and practice of improving communities' well-being through preventative measures and interventions. In Botswana, investigate the benefits of government investment in healthcare infrastructure. Collaborate with local community-based organizations (CBOs) dedicated to identifying and addressing population health needs. Join experts and other Global Navigators to help implement a health fair in rural Botswana.

Conduct health assessments, discuss healthcare interventions, and analyze how government policies influence the health of communities. Engage with residents to promote preventative care and healthy habits. Meet local high school students to reflect on the health challenges facing teens in the region.  

Immerse yourself in local traditions with your host family over home-cooked dishes, like seswaa (stewed beef) and bogobe (stiff melon porridge). Spot lions and elephants in their natural habitat on your excursion to the Okavango Delta, one of Africa’s Seven Wonders. In Gaborone, you’ll grow to be a more empathic caregiver and find inspiration for future service or a career in public health. 

Why Choose This Program?

Explore

Have fun discovering Botswana's spectacular wildlife.

Network

Meet new friends, healthcare professionals, and local health advocates. Build your own community.

Get Inspired

Gain hands-on leadership skills assisting with local health initatives. Come home ready to take action.

Destination
  • Garobone skyline
  • Elephants
  • Gaborone

The Destination

Welcome to Gaborone, the capital of Botswana, a country with forward-thinking approach to public health.

Recognizing the benefit of public health access, the Botswana government has set out to increase health infrastructure and better access to clinics and hospitals in recent years. Their campaign has been so successful that most of Botswana's citizens now live within three miles of a healthcare facility. However, as access to universal healthcare has risen, the quality of care and regulation of hospital systems stand to improve. Local organizations are diligently striving for further progress in the health sector.

Gaborone may be Botswana's capital, but it's a relatively quiet city that is both safe and bustling with vibrant markets, art museums, and cultural events. It serves as the gateway to some of Southern Africa's most beautiful wildlife attractions. Only 20 minutes outside the city, animals like rhinos, giraffes, and cheetahs roam at the Mokolodi Nature Reserve. Gaborone is also near the Okavango Delta, a sprawling wetland that's the largest inland delta in the world, which you’ll get to explore!

Cultural Awareness

CIEE wants all our students to feel welcomed, supported, and empowered to succeed while studying abroad. Local CIEE staff have provided details about conditions and cultural attitudes that students with specific identities might encounter in Gaborone.

 
Itinerary

Daily Life

Monday–Friday  

Each day offers a balance between interactive instruction and cultural activities with time on your own, too. Morning classes and afternoon activities may swap places.  

  • Breakfast at the homestay
  • Hands-on learning with local instructors and healthcare professionals and/or service in community projects
  • Lunch at the homestay or in the community with your fellow Global Navigators
  • Out and about for a cultural activity
  • Time for writing individual reflections on your service and for holding group debriefs
  • Dinner at the homestay

Weekends  

  • Overnight or day excursions to top sites  
  • Quality time with friends 

Carefully-screened homestay

24/7 Support

1 Program Leader for every 12 students and support from local staff

Sample Itinerary

Objectives

You will start off the week with an orientation to learn about the culture of Botswana. You will be introduced to the Setswana language and learn how language and culture are intertwined. You will start learning about public health issues on a visit to a community-based organization (CBO) and understand its history, mission, vision, and role in the community. You will also discuss volunteer programs and services and start brainstorming about your final project. 

Highlights*

  • Marimba (a vibrant, rhythmic instrument) music class
  • Hands-on pottery class
  • African house dance workshop
  • Guided tour of Gaborone, Botswana’s capital

*Based on prior year itinerary and subject to change.

Objective

You will continue working with the CBO. You will explore and discuss the influence of social determinants on health, encompassing factors such as socioeconomic status, education, employment, housing, and access to resources. You will also discuss various approaches and key interventions aimed at improving the health of a community. You will start the assessment to identify community health needs. 

Highlights*

  • Host family fun day
  • Day trip to a cultural village for an immersion in local traditions and customs
  • Mokolodi Nature Reserve, home to giraffes, zebras, warthogs and more.

*Based on prior year itinerary and subject to change.

Objective

You will learn how public health programs are implemented through community engagement. You will also engage community members to promote the benefits of preventive care and healthy behaviors by assisting in the implementation of a health expo shaped by findings from the community needs assessments. 

Highlights*

  • Delta excursion to the northern region of Botswana to explore its rich wildlife. 
  • Farewell dinner with local music and celebration

*Based on prior year itinerary and subject to change.

Monday–Friday  

Each day offers a balance between interactive instruction and cultural activities with time on your own, too. Morning classes and afternoon activities may swap places.  

  • Breakfast at the homestay
  • Hands-on learning with local instructors and healthcare professionals and/or service in community projects
  • Lunch at the homestay or in the community with your fellow Global Navigators
  • Out and about for a cultural activity
  • Time for writing individual reflections on your service and for holding group debriefs
  • Dinner at the homestay

Weekends  

  • Overnight or day excursions to top sites  
  • Quality time with friends 

Housing

  • Carefully-screened homestay
Activities

Sample Activities

Sample activity

Just imagine all the fun you’ll have!

  • Get in tune with rhythms of Botswana during dance and marimba lessons with local artists. Discover the power of music in Botswana culture!
  • Go on an exciting game drive, where you can encounter Africa’s iconic wild animals like elephants, zebras, lions, and more. Learn how tourism contributes to Botswana’s economy and its effects on public health.
  • Try your hand at traditional Botswanan games, like mhele, a two-player strategy board game that’s been played for countless centuries.
  • Explore rolling hills and rare wildlife on safari at Mokolodi Nature Reserve.
  • Surround yourself by nature at Bahurutshe Cultural Village. Experience a kglota, a public meeting led by the village chief. 

Please note activities are based on past programs and subject to change at CIEE's discretion to adapt to local circumstances and participant feedback. Our goal when arranging activities is always to enhance your experience.

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Eligibility

Eligibility

  • Participants must be 14 years old and above.
  • Program open to current high school students—Freshman, Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors. Students must have completed Freshman year of high school before traveling on program.
  • For scholarship eligibility requirements, please check our Scholarship page.

For more information, refer to the detailed Program Essential Eligibility Criteria

Dates & Fees

Dates & Fees

Application Fee

$25

Program scholarships and tuition include iNext Travel Insurance, but do not cover the cost of flights. Find additional details about what’s included with your tuition.    

More questions? Find answers, get application support, sign up for virtual presentations, or contact us

Program

Application Due

Start Date

End Date

Costs

Program Summer Session I 2025 3 weeks Start Date End Date Costs $5,450
Program Summer Session II 2025 3 weeks Start Date End Date Costs $5,450

Program Fees

CIEE offers the most student support of any provider in its program fee, including an airport greeting, full-time leadership and support, orientation, cultural activities, local excursions, pre-departure advising, and CIEE iNext travel protection with benefits.

Program Balance = $5,450

Total Fees = $5,450

Estimated Costs

Students are responsible and manage costs related to travel, meals, books, and personal expenses. Below are estimates for consideration.

Financial Aid

CIEE offers the most grants and scholarships of any study abroad organization, including $8 million/year in travel grants, merit-based scholarships, institutional and MSI grants, and Gilman Go Global Grants.

See Scholarships

Program Fees

CIEE offers the most student support of any provider in its program fee, including an airport greeting, full-time leadership and support, orientation, cultural activities, local excursions, pre-departure advising, and CIEE iNext travel protection with benefits.

Program Balance = $5,450

Total Fees = $5,450

Estimated Costs

Students are responsible and manage costs related to travel, meals, books, and personal expenses. Below are estimates for consideration.

Financial Aid

CIEE offers the most grants and scholarships of any study abroad organization, including $8 million/year in travel grants, merit-based scholarships, institutional and MSI grants, and Gilman Go Global Grants.

See Scholarships

Ready to change your life?

What's Included

Interactive Classes

Housing

3 Meals/Day

(Dietary Needs Accommodated)

All Ground Transportation

(Once In-country)

Optional Flight Chaperone

(Flight Cost Not Included)

Pre-departure Advice and Orientation

Access to WIFI

(No international data plan or SIM card included)

All Cultural Activities and Excursions

Comprehensive Medical and Travel Protection

24/7 Emergency On-site Support

Staff

Our Staff

Basetsana Maposa

Center Director

Basetsana Maposa returned to Botswana in 2008 after spending 10 years living in the United States. She has extensive experience working in health, youth leadership, human rights, and educational development.

Program Leaders guide and support our High School Summer Abroad participants through every step of their program.

Request Info