Project Botswana

Botswana Young Women HIV/AIDS, self-worth and relationship building project.

To bring about Behaviour Change.

Caring for the needs of the AIDS orphans and vulnerable children.

  
HIV Aids remains the biggest crisis in Botswana being one of the countries hardest hit with AIDS. In a UNAIDS  2003 report it was estimated that 330,000 adults (15-49)   were living with AIDS. With a population of only 1,785 000 it is extremely disheartening. Women in the age group of 15-49 in a study done in 2003 showed 190,000 living with aids. The same study done found that we had over 120 000 AIDS orphans. Life expectancy fell from 65 years in 1990-1995 to less than 40 years in 2000-2005.President Festus Mogae, the president of Botswana summed up the situation, by saying the following: “We are threatened with extinction. People are dying in chilling high numbers. It is a crisis of the first magnitude.”

An Aids programme officer in Botswana made the statement “This country has been bombarded with HIV messages, but there hasn’t been a change in behaviour”. It is now time to target the right message to the right people. Our Women’s Ministries Department would like to introduce initiatives that will deal with self-worth and behavior change amongst our youth.

We are aware of the plight facing our communities where the toll of HIV/AIDS is leaving in its wake, young boys and girls who will grow up without the nurturing from mothers and fathers.  We realize that this situation places burdens on already struggling families. Therefore as caring women we need to find innovative ways to reach out to help alleviate the burdens of those around us. 
We need to care enough so that those who are in need today will be the ones who will forever remember the compassion shared with them and become caregivers themselves in the future.

So that there is a caring presence in every town and village an ambitious school and orphanage building program has begun with four projects to be completed by the end of 2007.  You can show others you care by being a part of these either by donation or joining a volunteer team.

The future of Botswana can be a positive and bright if we care for the youth, orphans and the vulnerable ones who are needy today. After all they are the ones in whom the future of this nation will be entrusted. They will be the leaders in all aspects of this beautiful country

Our task is to target both the North and South regions of Botswana from town to town eventually targeting every village and council, village courts and community and reaching into every household.

Our vision is to saturate Botswana with a message that life is worth living and that everything should be done to influence and care for, the orphans, the young and the vulnerable. That through an intensive education of the benefits of behaviour change we can make a difference and so secure the prosperous future of our country.

Please join with us in the:

Botswana Young Women HIV/AIDS, self-worth and relationship building project.
 
To bring about Behaviour Change.

Caring for the needs of the AIDS orphans and vulnerable children.

This is my challenge to you.

Susan Williams
Botswana Women’s Ministries Leader

For more information on Project Botswana or if you would like to help support it financially or be a part of the 2008 fly’n’build team please contact us here.