19 Aug 2019

Botswana will share and exchange notes with her regional counterparts at the forthcoming fifth Regional Psycho Social support forum billed for Windhoek, Namibia from August 24-29. 

The forum themed; Breaking Barriers, Creating Connections, attracts civil society, community based organizations, academics and researchers to share knowledge, information and experiences on child care. 

In an interview with BOPA, National orphaned and vulnerable children Coordinator, in the Department of Social Protection, Ms Malebogo Modiakgotla said the forum provided a platform for Botswana to share experiences and challenges as well as learn best working practices to enhance psychosocial support provision.

She explained that Botswana had made significant strides in the provision of psychosocial support although there was still room for improvement. 

“Botswana will be presenting on the findings of the recently completed national situational analysis on orphaned and vulnerable children. We will also share our success story of the hostel care and management project spearheaded by Ghanzi district,” Ms Modiakgotla revealed. 

She emphasised that government was committed to enhancing provision of psychosocial support adding that it was demonstrated by the tripartite partnership with Botswana Open University (BOU) and the Regional Psycho Social Support Initiative (REPSSI), in which government funds the enrollment of hostel children and youth care workers to undergo training in the community based work with children and youth certificate programme offered by Botswana Open University. 

REPSSI country representative Ms Mmamiki Kamanakao commended government’s commitment towards provision of psychosocial support. She said Botswana’s presentation would enlighten the world on the importance of educating and capacitating children and youth hostel care workers. 

Ms Kamanakao further noted that Botswana had benefited immensely from the previous PSS forum interactions and stood to benefit even more. 

“Botswana has managed to establish definition of psychosocial support and also develop operational standards. We have also designed a minimum package of service for orphaned and vulnerable children,” she said. 

She pointed out that the forum would also afford Botswana an opportunity to network and forge partnerships with other countries to improve service delivery of psychosocial support. 

Furthermore, REPSSI’s regional programs coordinator Mr Alex Tigere said every biannually, government through the Department of Social Protection (DSP) worked jointly with REPSSI in organising a national psychosocial support forum, adding that the country had successfully hosted two forums in 2014 and 2016. 

Mr Tigere distinguished that the regional psychosocial support forum comprised of a children’s forum, media training and the ultimate main forum. 

“The children’s forum provides platform for children to engage, share experiences, knowledge and information on child protection issues in their respective countries. It’s a way of empowering them,” he reinforced. 

The media training will engage journalists from various countries in the region on acceptable media standards in children’s reporting and explore how the standards can be applied across the various thematic areas.  Ends