Welcome!

Welcome to the Botswana International Schools Project blog. We very much look forward to sharing our experience with you. By reading the entries you will learn about our experience and reasearch, our new friends and families, and the amazing children we met throughout our visit. Every day was meaningful. As a result of this experience, we are stronger members of our local and global communities.

Thank you for your interest and support. We are in the final stages of editing and refining our business plan. We hope to present our plan to the Bishop of Botswana and Think Tank Thuto this fall. If you would like to know more about the project please email us botswana.2008@gmail.com or ljennings@marshall.usc.edu.

The Project Announcement is below. Enjoy the blog!

Project Announcement: May 24, 2007
The USC Marshall School of Business and Think Tank Thuto, a not-for-profit organization devoted to creating educational excellence in the Southern African Development Community (SADC), have partnered to develop a comprehensive business plan for two international schools in Francistown, Botswana. Under the leadership of the Diocese of Botswana and with support from the Ministry of Education, these new schools are intended to set the bar for education in Southern Africa by operating as innovative, highly functional, and sustainable institutions. The two schools will cover primary and secondary education and will serve both those who can and cannot afford to pay for this type of education.

With the generous financial support of the Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies, the USC Marshall School of Business, and Think Tank Thuto, five MBA students and one undergraduate business student will be traveling to Botswana under the leadership of Professor David Belasco and Lida Jennings for a two-week site visit. Throughout the site visit, the team will meet extensively with the local taskforce and government officials overseeing school development and construction. The students will also spend time with leaders at existing institutions and local families with school-age children to better understand the needs and interests of the local consumer. The end result of the project will be a formal business plan for the two international schools, written by the Marshall team and presented to the Bishop of Botswana, Reverend Trevor Mwamba, during his next visit to Los Angeles.The business plan will serve as the foundation for Think Tank Thuto’s future fundraising efforts. All monies raised will fund the construction of the Botswana International Schools.