Cheerful GiversIt’s 8:30 p.m. and a group of us attending the Mothers’ Union annual conference in Tsabong, having finished a late dinner capped with cups of hot tea and bowls of cream and fruit (the fruit bearing a strong resemblance to what Americans know as canned fruit cocktail), are ready for the last act of the day. It’s time, one of my dining companions says with a big smile, for “some fund-raising.” Arriving back at the meeting hall, I notice the chairs have been rearranged. Divided into rows that now run vertically, the chairs face each other across a wide aisle. At the end of the aisle are two tables, and seated behind the table are five women. There’s no dillydallying. An officer of the diocesan MU, microphone in one hand and a sheaf of paper in the other, calls the name of a Mothers’ Union branch (the organizational structure of the MU and Episcopal Church Women is similar). The women representing that branch gather at one end of the room then make their way down the aisle, two or three abreast. But this is Botswana, so they don’t just walk forward. They sing, some use the “beat” while others have whistles, and they dance with shuffling steps during the approach to the table where the tellers await. Once at the table, each woman offers payment of her pledge to the MU for costs associated with its operations and ministries. The money isn’t just quietly left with a teller, though. It’s slapped down, not rudely but definitely, proudly, a non-verbal “there you go!” And then there they go, singing and dancing back to their seats. Another group is called forward. Sometimes a woman not affiliated with a branch jumps into the line as a show of friendship and solidarity, putting money down each time. 
Making the TallyEach woman’s gift is counted toward the total for the branch that has the floor. This scenario, which feels somewhat chaotic at times, is repeated over and over. By 11:30 my ears are ringing and I’m ready to call it a night, but the fund-raising continues unabated for almost another hour. Then we listen as the announcer gives the totals raised, branch by branch. It’s an impressive sum. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.