Having Nothing to Do

I have been sent here to research a court watch programme. To date however 70% of my time has been spent as a fully-fledged legal officer of SWAGAA- meaning I get sent to the high profile government meetings. Take this past week, spent at Orion, and the week before that, spent at Orion. Both meetings were for country programme action plans, firstly for the UNFPA and then this past week for the UNDP. Granted, I got sent to both of these meetings because 'I have nothing to do.' But at both meetings I did SWAGAA proud, getting many, if not all, of SWAGAA's programme's into the country action plans for the next 4 years. This means that when the UNDP decides to start funding the Court Watch programme, which I convinced the room of 30 gender specialists (including the Speaker of Parliament) was essential for combating GBV, well, the Court Watch activity has now become a national priority.

After three weeks of trying, I have in fact, found something for me to do - meet with the Director of Public Prosecutions to explain what the court watch is. The DPP is married to the Attorney General, how is that for a power couple and a half. I will report back about the meeting on Thursday- it feels good to be meeting with the Swazi powers that be.

The picture is just a pretty view from a hotel that I stayed at for a meeting, not Orion, but very nice. I plan to walk the mountains one day, but Swazis are not as hard core about their hiking as Koreans, hiking mountains is a foreigner thing to do. So I have delayed it, instead doing as the locals do (hang out in an outside pub in Ngwane Park on a Saturday night).