Background

Botswana is a landlocked country situated in Southern Africa. About the size of France it is relatively sparsely populated with a population of about 1.5 million inhabitants. Most of the country is made up of the Kalahari Desert which is a semi arid area. There are also vast salt pans in the centre of the country with indigenous forests in the northern parts of the country. The Okavango Delta is a unique and beautiful inland delta which covers an area of about 16,000 square kilometers and is situated in the north western part of Botswana.

Most of the local inhabitants of Botswana are pastoral by nature with large herds of livestock and some subsistence farming. To adequately feed these animals cattle posts, in outlying areas, are used throughout the country to make the best of poor grazing conditions. The absence of surface water also prevents the growing of large scale crops. The cattle industry is the 2nd largest industry in Botswana.

There are, however, other local inhabitants who have traditionally lived hunter gatherer lifestyles. Some of these people live in the Okavango Delta where, because of the presence of wildlife, they are not able to grow crops or keep domestic livestock. Over the last 3 decades many of these people have become involved with the tourism industry. As they live intimately and have a deep understanding of wildlife they make excellent guides. For many this has been a very necessary move to supplement their existence as many outside pressures have been brought about to alter their lifestyles. As mainstream development is taking place in Botswana these communities are being left behind in a rapidly changing outside world.

As we also operate a safari company, namely Bush Camp Safaris (Pty) Ltd., we have worked closely with these people and have seen the changes that have taken place and how these changes have influenced the lives of these people. It is, therefore, our earnest desire to in some way assist these communities in a way that will improve their living conditions but not drastically alter their traditional way of living.

It is for this reason that the Community Assistance Trust has been established as a means to provide meaningful assistance to these remote communities.