16 Dec 2014

Botswana Institute for Development Policy Analysis 
(BIDPA) representative, Dr Pelotshweu Moepeng has said increased scarcity of
 portable water in the south could lead to increased risk of poverty and
vulnerability to diseases.

Speaking at 
the non-governmental organisation poverty eradication strategy workshop recently, Dr 
Moepeng said considerations to use treated waste water required the existence of
 advocacy groups that would ensure that water from such sources were in good
 condition.

He further 
said climate change had implications on amounts of rainfall, their timing and 
rising temperatures and that could also increase vulnerability hence the need for 
advocacy to mitigate immediate challenges that could cause extreme hardships.

Talking 
about the challenges children faced and risk of poverty, Dr Moepeng said high 
incidence of divorce and lack of emotional support to help children in
transition increased the risk of being poor. Therefore, he said it was upon NGO’s to
 see what they could do to address such issues.

“Also high 
incidence of single headed family, low incomes increase risk of poverty and 
lack of after school care support systems for children from poor house holds
increase risk of poverty, and as NGOs what can we do to address the issues,” he 
said. 



On some challenges that old age people faced, he said small house hold size and 
lack of extended family system limited options for the aged, adding that increased 
incidence of terminal diseases and lack of home based nursing care compromised 
individual human dignity. ENDS