Past Projects
Ringing the Bell
The objective of the project was to create a child-friendly and gender responsive school environment that supports age appropriate HIV & AIDS dialogue and debate. Field educators were trained to engage children 6-14 years of age in primary schools with life skills, strategies to reduce stigma and discrimination against infected and affected children and address other cross cutting issues like children’s rights. Some of the stakeholders were UNICEF, ACHAP and the Ministry of Education. The project ended in 2009.
Basha Lesedi project
Basha Lesedi Project was a 5 year project (2006-2011) that focused on HIV prevention. It was implemented in partnership with Family Health International (FHI) and funded by PEPFAR. The project aimed to fill the gaps related to HIV Prevention among younger youth in Botswana, particularly in Borolong and North-East districts. The project engaged the target communities to deliver interventions. The activities were geared toward promoting abstinence, encouraging delay of sexual debut, faithfulness in intimate relationships, partner reduction, reduction of alcohol and substance abuse and providing life skills among youth aged 10-17 years. The BONEPWA+ component utilised trained role models known as ‘Aunties’ and ‘Uncles’ to provide services to the youth in targeted communities. The life mentors reached Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVCs), including out-of-school youth and those infected and affected with HIV/AIDS. ‘Aunties’ and ‘Uncles’ provided amongst other things, psychosocial support and home support (e.g. assistance with school work, accompaniment to health centres, and recreation). They also provided parenting support and coaching to parents and guardians. ‘Aunties’ and ‘Uncles’ targeted households, rather than individual children, to reduce the risk of stigma or competition among children.
Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV (PMTCT)
BONEPWA+ worked in partnership with Pathfinder International to provide Prevention of Mother To Child (PMTCT) services. The project provided psychosocial support for pregnant mothers, their partners and families. Mothers who had previously enrolled in the PMTCT (Peer mothers) were engaged to encourage pregnant mothers to register early for antenatal care, and enroll in the programme (those who were eligible). The peer mothers provided emotional support to the newly enrolled mothers and encouraged them to complete the course. They also encouraged each other to give their babies the recommended prophylactic treatments, seek early intervention in case the babies fell sick and testing them for HIV as per schedule. The activities undertaken increased the programme uptake. The project was successfully completed in 2009.
Botswana HIV & AIDS Partnership Programme
Forum Syd, a Swedish NGO and four local networks; BONEPWA+, BONASO, Botswana Council of Non-Governmental Organisations (BOCONGO), and Botswana Network on Ethics, Law & HIV & AIDS (BONELA) collaboratively implemented an HIV & AIDS partnership programme from 2006-2009. ‘The primary purpose of the programme was to support the acceleration and scaling up of the comprehensive and quality prevention, care, support and impact mitigation services by civil society organisations in Botswana.’ (Mid-Term Review of the Botswana HIV and AIDS Partnership Programme)
Key programmatic findings included provision of technical support in Organisational Development to each member organisation, training in leadership and management and team building and strategy workshops. The above were geared toward strengthening institutional capacities and service delivery in 50% of civil society organisations such that they could provide quality and comprehensive prevention, care and support services.