CAPTains’ “Team Internship” in Botswana

Article written by Ian Mun Qin Jie and Tan Jean Hann

CAPT brought students to Botswana under Study Trips for Engagement and EnRichment (STEER) programme – one in 2017 and another in 2018. The trips have allowed CAPTains to learn about the people and culture of Botswana with particular focus on education, employment and the environment. To follow up on the learning journey, under the sponsorship of the Centre for Future Ready (CFG), NUS, a group of eight of students were interning at the Delta Waters International School (DWIS) in Maun, an amazingly beautiful part of Botswana.

DWIS has students from kindergarten to pre-university. We worked with the older students and interacting via subjects that each of us are stronger in. We had many opportunities to share about Singapore and, in turn, find out more about life here in Botswana. The students were very interested in learning more about our culture and university life. Many aspire to study abroad and to pursue their education in renowned universities. The teachers were also especially keen to learn about the Singapore education system. They asked about new teaching methods and classroom management techniques that we experienced in Singapore. We also spent some time with the younger children, assisted in their lessons and enrichment programmes like debate and music.

Apart from academic subjects, we conducted workshops on note-taking and study methods, like summarising and mindmapping. There were also sessions on improving presentation skills as well as setting goals. We observes that these are areas that the students need guidance in, and something that our team could value add. DWIS was very supportive of our ideas and opened to the suggestions.

In preparation for this team internship, we had sessions on the history and culture of Botswana and read articles on the economy and challenges faced. We also had a dialogue with the Botswana Consulate in Singapore. The pre-trip seminars gave us insights and fueled our excitement and anticipation. On arrival at Maun, the management of DWIS arranged an orientation program for us, and included an overnight camp in the National Park, so that we could learn the traditional culture, safety in the bushland where thousands of wildlife wander freely and, of course, get to know the student leaders who joined us for the orientation camp.

For many Singaporeans (ourselves included), Botswana is a very faraway land; it is unimaginable that we would have ventured here ourselves. Thus, we are very grateful for this pioneering “team internship” concept that the CFG and CAPT has started – enabling the eight of us to come to Maun, the heart of the Okavango Delta, which is as UNESCO World Heritage Centre. As a group, we benefited by pooling our resources and that helped us keep our living expenses low. As a team, we were able to explore places on the weekends and immerse ourselves in the community and culture. Being in a team also enabled us to be more efficient in doing our administrative work like visa applications.

One thing to note for future interns coming to DWIS is to have an open mind and readily adapt ideas to cater to the needs of the school. Our team came into this internship with certain expectations and assumptions, only to realise that there were other pressing issues and areas that the school needed more help in. It was only after getting orientated with the school and sitting in lessons that we could identify our area of contribution, where our strengths could support the school’s programme effectively.

It had been an enriching experience and we hope that NUS will continue supporting such overseas ‘team internships’, to DWIS especially. We believe that there is much more that NUS students can do and learn in the Okavango Delta. We can play our small part by contributing in the school, especially in inspiring and encouraging the students to work hard and take charge of their learning through our interactions. In turn, we gained so much more.

Read more about DWIS and our reflections here: