Botswana

Botswana: Standing With Children in the Gaps Between Growth and Reality

Explore Botswana:

Learn how children in one of Africa’s most stable democracies still face silent struggles in education, health, and inequality — and meet the people changing that story.

The Situation for Children in Botswana

Botswana is often praised for its peace, natural beauty, and economic stability — but beneath the surface, many children continue to face challenges that are overlooked by national progress. These are the three most pressing issues:

Inequality in Access to Early Childhood Education

While Botswana has invested heavily in primary education, preschool and early learning opportunities are still limited, especially in rural and low-income communities. Many children enter school already behind, lacking foundational skills.

HIV/AIDS Impact on Orphaned and Vulnerable Children

Although HIV rates have declined, Botswana still has one of the highest HIV prevalence rates in the world. Thousands of children have lost one or both parents to the disease, leaving them vulnerable to poverty, emotional trauma, and dropping out of school.

Gender-Based Violence and Mental Health Stigma

Abuse, harassment, and gender-based violence remain significant threats to girls across the country. With limited access to child counseling or mental health services, many young people — especially girls — suffer in silence.

Despite these challenges, Botswana’s children remain full of hope, dreaming of education, health, and opportunities for a better tomorrow.

Key Contributor #1: Stepping Stones International

Supporting Orphans and Vulnerable Youth Affected by HIV/AIDS

In the shadows of Botswana’s HIV/AIDS epidemic, Stepping Stones International provides safety, structure, and healing for children who’ve lost parents or live in unstable environments. Their programs serve orphaned and vulnerable youth with a holistic approach: education support, counseling, life skills, and leadership training.

At their community center, children receive meals, help with schoolwork, and emotional support from trained staff. Some have never had anyone ask how they’re feeling — here, they’re not just heard, but seen.

For teenagers navigating grief and poverty, Stepping Stones becomes more than a safe space. It becomes home, and the first place where they’re allowed to hope again.

Key Contributor #2: Dreams for Girls Botswana

Ending Gender-Based Violence and Empowering Girls

In communities where silence surrounds abuse, Dreams for Girls Botswana is helping girls reclaim their voices. They work directly with survivors of gender-based violence, offering counseling, mentorship, and safe after-school programs that teach resilience, rights, and self-worth.

The organization also trains teachers, parents, and boys to break harmful cycles of silence, victim-blaming, and discrimination. Their outreach extends to radio shows, community events, and classroom campaigns across Botswana.

For the girls who walk into their center carrying fear, Dreams for Girls offers something revolutionary — a sense of power, and the freedom to heal.

Key Event #1: Village Preschool Project – Ngamiland District

Launching Early Education Where It Didn’t Exist Before

In 2023, a cluster of remote villages in Ngamiland celebrated a quiet but powerful milestone: the opening of their first early childhood learning centers. The Village Preschool Project brought together educators, parents, and nonprofits to launch preschools in areas where none had existed before.

Simple structures made from wood and tin became classrooms filled with music, movement, and laughter. Local women were trained as early childhood educators, and families were invited to participate in their children’s learning for the first time.

For the children who once waited years to begin formal schooling, these centers marked the beginning of a new kind of future — one that starts with a solid foundation.

Key Event #2: Healing Circles – Gaborone

Creating Safe Spaces for Girls to Share and Recover

In a community hall tucked behind the bustle of Gaborone, girls gather each weekend for what they call Healing Circles — a confidential space to talk, cry, laugh, and rebuild. Led by trained female mentors, these sessions offer emotional first aid for girls recovering from violence, harassment, and trauma.

No microphones. No judgment. Just a circle of girls with similar pain, and a safe space to speak it out loud.

What began as a small pilot in 2022 has grown into a national model for grassroots trauma support. It’s changing lives not through headlines, but through heart-to-heart connection.

Top Grassroot Nonprofits Across Botswana