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Tebelopele To Hold Symposium at the Maharaja on September 21 to Discuss Transition to NGO Status
As of October 4, 2004, Tebelopele, Botswana’s main model of HIV Voluntary Testing and Counseling services, will become an independent non-governmental organization (NGO). Since its inception four years ago as a program directly implemented by BOTUSA, Tebelopele has counseled and tested more than 150,000 people through its nationwide network of centers. The BOTUSA project is a partnership between the Botswana Ministry of Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Tebelopele employs more than 100 people at its sixteen centers throughout Botswana.
While BOTUSA will no longer implement the Tebelopele program, it will continue to provide funding and technical assistance to Tebelopele through the President’s Emergency Fund for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). To develop the management capacity of the new Tebelopele, BOTUSA, working with the Tebelopele Change Management Reference Group that was formed to guide the transition (that contained multiple Government of Botswana representatives from the Ministry of Health, NACA, and the Ministry of Local Government), contracted with an international public agency, the Academy for Educational Development (AED).
On Tuesday, September 21, there will be a symposium at the Maharaja Conference Center from 8:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. to brief stakeholders on the Tebelopele transition process and how that will benefit Tebelopele and the nation as a whole. Stakeholders will also have the opportunity to express their views regarding the past performance of Tebelopele and its future direction.
Members of the media are invited to attend the symposium on Tuesday, September 21. For more information, please contact BOTUSA’s Communications Officer, Mr. Greg Kelebonye, at Office Tel: 390-1696, Mobile: 71318802 or greg1@botusa.org
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Latest Headlines From the Embassy |
U.S. Embassy Warns of “Black Money” Scam
The U.S. Embassy has learned that several unscrupulous individuals in Gaborone are defrauding people of their money by committing what is known as the “black money,” “wash-wash” or “hard currency conversion” scam. Though it has several different names, the scam is the same.
The victim is approached by individuals claiming to be from another African country who claim to be in possession of several million U.S. dollars that have been dyed black to avoid detection by Customs or other law enforcement officials. The scammers then show the victim a safe or case full of black paper.
The scammers tell the victim that s/he will be given a percentage of this money if the victim agrees to give them money to buy a chemical or solution used to “wash” the black dye off of the money.
The individuals state that the chemical can only be purchased from the U.S. Government through the U.S. Embassy, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) or the U.S. Centers For Disease Control and Prevention/BOTUSA. The victim is also presented with an official looking printed document bearing the names of several U.S. Government agencies that discusses the process.
The U.S. Embassy would like to assure the public that the U.S. Government does NOT dye money nor does it sell any chemical or solution to clean money. If someone tries to involve you in this scam or if you have been victimized, contact the police immediately.
Remember - “If a deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is.” Additional information on similar scams is available thorough one of the websites below:
http://www.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/asiapcf/southeast/04/20/thailand.scam/
http://www.crimes-of-persuasion.com/Nigerian/marked_currency.htm
http://www.finishing.com/News/blackmoney.html
http://www.lpconline.com/Nigerian_dye.html
http://observer.thecentre.centennialcollege.ca/news/money_wash102402.htm
http://www.state.gov/www/regions/africa/naffpub ...(complete text)
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