Our teams recently finalised the four-part documentary “Bridging Waters” about transboundary water-cooperation within the region. We aim to broadcast them in public broadcasters in the region but uploaded them also to the WaterChannel.tv. Please have a look at: “Water for Peace” (general introduction to transboundary water-cooperation within the SADC region, “Water for Economical Development” (focus on Orange-Senqu basin between Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia and South Africa), “Water for Poverty Reduction” (focus on Limpopo basin with Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe) and “Water and Climate Change” (focus on the Zambezi basin with Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe). Additionally you can find an overview about the donor-activities online at the SADC Water Sector ICP Collaboration Portal, that I compiled to support cooperation between international donors and the SADC institutions. And last but not least I would like to share the slide-show about our work and impact on flickr.

Thanks for South Africa for this great event and hope you keep on the great spirit and team-work as rainbow nation! And thanks for the German team for their passion and great play with fresh attitude, it was fun to watch, cheer and see you winning. We´ll be there for sure, when Germany wins the Cup 2014 in Brazil!

In addition I also managed to fully arrive in Gaborone – with own house, car and ‘weekend-get-aways’. As you see in the pictures I am not only driving an own car again – after ten years – with the wheel on the steering-wrong side but I also live in a small house in the suburbs of Gaborone. These are quite some changes from the small room in Singapore with its great public transport to this new adventure. But as you know I like challenges and especially if I have to adapt myselfs to new settings – that keeps fresh and was exactly what I was looking for. After these first weeks I feel also well introduced to the life of Gaborone with its braai-parties, cinemas, game drives and even theatre-performances (see article about No 1 Ladies theatre). In the end of this month the adventure is getting even more exiting, as Susi will join me here, and so I am looking forward for more great months to see and experience a piece of Africa together.

As I live again in a small room at a friend´s house, where I staid also last time it seems as I only left the country some weeks ago as it looks and feels all very familiar to me. But the GTZ office changed a lot, as more staff from Danemark, Canada and Germany joined the team and we are nowadays more than ten people working together with the SADC Water-Division and the fifteen water-ministries in Southern Africa. The team is amazing and on the first day I was already able meeting our SADC colleagues, second day was already project-planning and Friday I wrote the first PR concept. That is fast speed as I like it and I am quite exiting what the future brings. Besides work I am currently looking into car-buying and I hope finding one soon, as busses ar not very effective and walking produces a lot of sweet as we have over 30 degrees here. As I had my last car almost ten years ago and life in Singapore and Berlin do not needed one, that is quite funny situation but let´s see how I get ripped off by the car-shops.

From 1st February until 1st March I will be in Eschborn, near Frankfurt (Main) for my preparation in the GTZ headquarter. Afterwards I´ll leave icy Germany (currently minus 15 degrees in Berlin) for sunny Botswana. And I am very happy that also Susi, who is currently travelling for some months in Latin America, will join this adventure in June. So I have the noble task to find something to life in for us two: Maybe we can improve ourselves from our small fourteen square-meters room in Singapore – as a lot of guest already agree to visit. :)

Download in German: Master-Thesis “Transboundary Watermanagement in SADC”
Executive Summary in English language: Master-Thesis “Transboundary Watermanagement in SADC”

But this day got even more crazy, after FES called me and asked what I am supposed to do next two days. Well, I just had normal working days in mind and so they told me, that the flight is almost booked and I have to represent the FES in a training in Francistown. Two hours later everything was agreed and booked and nobody was really surprised about the short preparation: “normal procedure, as we do not even have the final programme”. I really want to figure out, what real speed means over here. ;)

I will keep you all posted about the black mambas, crazy apes infront of our house and crashes on the streets – but so far I really enjoying getting here and I hope for great days to remember. The temperatures are really promising with around 30 degrees.