The work of UNFPA Botswana is divided between its Country Programme and AYA - The African Youth Alliance.
UNFPA Country Programme
The overall goal of UNFPA Country Programme (1998-2002) is to contribute to modifying the country's population trends in a manner consistent with attainment of sustainable development. UNFPA's support to the Government is directed through two Sub-Programmes - Population and Development Strategy (PDS) and Reproductive Health - as well as subsequent component projects listed below.
1. Population and Development Strategy (PDS)
The purpose of UNFPA support in the Population and Development Strategy Sub-programme is to contribute to developing and implementing a comprehensive national population programme and to sustaining and intensifying commitment of policy and decision makers to population, youth and gender issues at all levels.
- Component Project: There is currently one project under the PDS Sub-Programme. The project mainly focuses on implementation and co-ordination of the Population Policy through sector Ministries, NGOs and the University of Botswana in an effort to foster integration of population factors into development planning. The project supports technical assistance to the Population Council and the Population Secretariat, training in the form of fellowships and short term training courses, and advocacy activities for parliamentarians and other decision makers on population issues.
 Peer educator doing a condom demonstration for teens |
The primary purpose of UNFPA assistance in the area of reproductive health is to contribute to increased utilisation by adolescents and youth of integrated, comprehensive, cost-effective and quality reproductive health services. UNFPA also tries to contribute to appropriate changes in behaviour and attitudes about reproductive health among adolescents and youth. If achieved, this should contribute significantly to reducing the overall maternal mortality rate, increasing the overall contraceptive prevalence rate, and empowering youth through widening their choices. Reaching young people at an early stage of their reproductive cycle, as well as addressing the entire spectrum of young people's RH needs in Botswana, is of extreme importance to UNFPA.
- Component Projects:
Currently two projects are on-going under the RH Sub-Programme: 1) Programme
Development and Capacity Building and 2) Widening Choices for Youth
In and Out of School.
The Programme Development and Capacity Building project aims to improve management and understanding of Reproductive Health at all levels. The main activity under this project is to facilitate and provide assistance to the Government for the design, formulation and management of the National Reproductive Health Programme. It seeks also to engender capacity building, and foster the design for the Adolescent Reproductive Health Component, including the development of guidelines, manuals, policies and standards for the provision of services.
The Widening Choices component project aims to increase access to the Adolescent Sexual Reproductive Health (ASRH) friendly services and to provide information to youth in and out of school. The project is currently focusing on the Chobe Sub-District where HIV/AIDS prevalence rate is one of the highest in the country, and yet there have been no extensive ASRH projects. Its main activities, among others, include the following: a) training of trainers (TOT) in ASRH, RH rights, issues and services, b) integration of information on RH issues and RH rights in materials and messages, c) training of health service providers, d) strengthening the capacity of Community Based Organisations including youth organisations, e) establishment of ASRH information and a Youth Centre, and f) outreach activities to disseminate information to the hard-to-reach cross-sections of Botswana's population.
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