01 Dec 2015

Despite the developmental strides the country has made since independence, children in Botswana still bear the brunt of poverty and social inequality, says outgoing United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) country representative, Ms Vidhya Ginesh.

Speaking during a courtesy call to bid farewell to Vice President, Mr Mokgweetsi Masisi at the office of the Leader of the House in Parliament, Ms Ginesh said the country needs to come up with innovative local solutions to address the challenges.

She said UNICEF was concerned about how poverty levels in certain parts of the country affect children.

“Mostly the western parts of the country, places such as Kgalagadi District, the Ghanzi area and areas around the Okavango have unique challenges that will need domestic stakeholders to work with institutions such as UNICEF in bridging the developmental gap,” she said.

Early childhood development, pre-primary education, better access to sanitation were among interventions suggested by Ms Ginesh as necessary, but she said they need to involve region-specific cultural interventions.

“Botswana has done well in terms of working on the provision of universal access to education and healthcare.  But you find that in various households in remote areas, you may find a lack of understanding among parents on what some of these interventions mean for their children. We need the government and other stakeholders to work with communities bring them on board and solicit their ideas on how best to develop,” she said.

Ms Ginesh moves to New York in the United States of America, having been in Botswana since 2014.  She said that UNICEF itself has been in the country since independence, and would continue partnering the country in its development undertakings.

Welcoming Ms Ginesh to his parliamentary office, Mr Masisi showed the UN envoy portraits of those who previously held the office of the Leader of the House since independence, among them former presidents Sir Ketumile Masire and Mr Festus Mogae, who held the office when they were vice presidents.

Mr Masisi presented Ms Ginesh with a farewell gift on behalf of the government of Botswana. Ends