Development of Seventh-day Adventist Work
Permission to open a hospital in Kanye village was granted on the understanding that no preaching be done. W. H. Anderson in 1921 received this in an interview with the queen mother, Gagoangwe, regent for the then-16-year-old chief, Bathoen II.
The work of Dr. A. H. Kretschmar in the new hospital broke down prejudice, and subsequently he received permission to preach. In 1922 J. R. Campbell was allowed to enter Kanye and hold meetings.
In 1927 H. Walker was permitted to conduct regular mission work there and also at Mauyana, a village some 30 miles (50 kilometers) away, where David Livingstone once worked.
After 1928 SDA work in Botswana was administered by the Zambesi Union, except for a short period when it was under the South African Union Conference.
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In 1951 Botswana was organized into a field within the Zambesi Union, with headquarters at Kanye. W. M. Webster was president.
From 1954 to 1959 work in Botswana was administered by the Zambesi Union, then the territory was reorganized as a field in1959, with W. M. Cooks as president.
At that time the headquarters were established at Francistown, with permanent housing and an office building.
In 1962 the first SDA school in Botswana opened in the small village of Ramokgoname, 40 miles (65 kilometers) from Palapye, and soon had a substantial enrollment.
In 1984 the Botswana Field was organized into two fields, the North and South, which are attached directly to the Eastern Africa Division.
Institutions
Kanye Hospital.
