DLA are my initials, and "LTK" is the shorthand name for my village, Letlhakeng. I'm located in the Kweneng District which is just below the Central Kalahari Game Reserve (see map below - I actually found one with my town listed!).
The LTK has a population of somewhere around 7,000 (we just had a 2011 census but I haven't been able to find the updated results). Some would say that for American standards this is the size of some secluded cult town. But you have to keep in mind that the entire population of Botswana is just over 2 million, and many volunteers are staying in areas with much lower population size (starting from around population 500). So for Botswana standards my site is not incredibly small.
Let's lay out what is here. It's not a lot, but what we have includes the following:
- 2 primary schools, 1 middle school
- 1 small library
- 2.5 paved roads.... (1 isn't paved very far)
- 3 small shopping complexes (4-8 shops each)
Although it has a small population the LTK could probably support more businesses. However, businesses rarely open here because of a much larger town, Molepolole, located 60 km away. This bustling place has several large supermarkets, as well as a variety of many other stores, so it's where I do the bulk of my shopping.When I first arrived, the thought of taking public transport 1 hour both ways to get most of my groceries in Molepolole seemed nuts. Now that thought doesn't even cross my mind. It's amazing how our perceptions can change...
