HIV/AIDS IN BOTSWANA

“HIV/AIDS touches every aspect of life in Botswana. It continues to undermine the enormous advances this democratic country has made by aggravating poverty, increasing child mortality, weakening families, comprising productivity, and decimating the working age population. At home, families live with the effects of HIV/AIDS first hand as they try to cope with income loss due to illness, the trauma of losing loved ones, the costs of caring for the sick, the burden of looking after orphaned relatives, and the overall physical, emotion and financial drain that the disease engenders.” UNICEF/Botswana

STATISTICS AND CONTRIBUTING FACTORS OF HIV/AIDS

Botswana has the second highest prevalence of HIV in the world with almost 39% of the adult population (15-49) infected. According to UNAIDS, the current life expectancy of less than 40 years is a significant decrease from the mid-60s in the 1990s. A social impact of AIDS deaths is the increase in the number of orphans. The number is projected to increase by 18,000 annually between 2000 and 2015. The Government of Botswana estimates that 20% of children will have been orphaned as a result of AIDS.

Factors which contribute to the spread of HIV/AIDS in Botswana is the large role in the presences of risky sexual behaviors, gender equality, unemployment, and poverty. For example, the incidence of HIV/AIDS among women between 15-49 years was at 150,000 of 280,000 adults (54%) living with HIV/AIDS. Because of their low socio-economic status, high level of unemployment and poverty among women, the number of women living with HIV/AIDS is expected to rise. The Government of Botswana estimates by 2010 the life expectancy among women will have fallen by 50%. At current risk levels, UNAIDS projects that about 85% of 15-year old boys in the country will most likely contact HIV (Peace Corps/Botswana, 2003).


BOTSWANA’S RESPONSE TO HIV/AIDS

The Botswana National AIDS Control Programme was established in 1986, co-ordinated by the Epidemiology Unit in the Ministry of Health. A short term plan was prepared for the period 1987-1989, focused on protection of the blood supply an the supply and use of disposable needs which was the first 5 year plan. The Ministry of Health established a second 5 year plan and expanded multi-sectoral response that dealt with prevention, impact mitigation, co-ordination, monitoring and evaluation.

In 1998, the National AIDS policy was prepared and adopted. It focused on two goals: 1) reduction of HIV transmission; and 2) reduction of the impact of HIV/AIDS on society. Under the latter, mention is made of ‘provision for orphans’. In noted three policy development measures: 1) incorporation of children orphaned by AIDS in to the Children’s Act an the Adoption Act: 2) review of the destitute Policy to make special provision for children orphansed due to AIDS; and 3)development of guidelines and procedures for fostering of children orphaned due to AIDS.

THE ORPHAN CRISIS IN BOTSWANA

Orphan-hood is not a new social phenomenon. What is new is the unprecedented increase n the number of orphans largest as a result of HIV/AIDS.” Ministry of Local Government, 2006)

The Government of Botswana defined an orphan as a “child below 18 years of age who has lost one (single parents) or two (married couples) biological or adoptive parents”. The 2001 census found 111,828 orphans or 15.2% of all under eighteen. Paternal orphans were most common (those who had lost their fathers but not their mothers: 63.2%), followed by maternal orphans (23.7%), an double orphans (those who had lost both parents; 13%). Statistics from 2001 show a total of 40,994 orphans out of a total population of under eighteens of 737,241, or 5.6%. The total number of orphans is expected to rise to 20% of all children by 2010 (NACA, 2003a).

Regional Perspective on Care for OVC: Southern Africa

Children Orphaned by AIDS
-Globally 15 million children have lost their parents
-12.3 million children have lost their parents to AIDS in sub-Sahara Africa, this figure is expected to double by 2010
-In ten countries of the southern Africa region 4.1 million children have lost one or both parents to AIDS
-20% of households with children in southern Africa are caring for one or more orphans
-60% of orphans cared for by grandparents

HIV positive children
-2.2 million children living with HIV in 2005
-500,000 children under the age of 15 need treatment now
-90% of these children are living in Africa