Botswana HIV/AIDS response commended

CALISTUS KOLANTSHO
Correspondent | Friday May 17, 2013 00:00

Dr Mafeni said this at the handing over ceremony of a mini-bus worth P339,650 to House of Hope Day Care Centre on Wednesday. Merck Sharpe and Dohme (MSD) donated the mini-bus. The House of Hope Day Care Centre was built with the support of ACHAP. The CEO said the support provided to the centre included funding to support personnel costs through a one-time grant from MSD. He added that ACHAP also provided direct programmatic and financial assistance from 2007 until 2009.

The coordinator of House of Hope Day Care Centre, Laone van Vuuren, explained that the centre provides support to orphans, vulnerable children (OVCs) and their caregivers. He said the centre, which has enrolled 60 children to date, but will increase that number to 80, opened its doors in 1999.

Grateful for the donation, Van Vuuren said transport was always a challenge because the day care centre provides transport for its children. With the mini bus that they have been given, the situation will improve.Speaking at the ceremony,  Mafeni said ACHAP is proud to be associated with the significant achievements made in Botswana regarding HIV/AIDS. Singled out as the most commendable efforts were the ARV treatment programme, and successful Prevention-of-Mother-to-Child-Transmission (PMTCT) programme, both of which have amongst the highest coverage and access rates at over 90 percent in Sub Saharan Africa.

'These are amongst some of the achievements that have provided examples to the rest of the developing world. The impact these programmes have had can be seen in the reduction of mother-to-child HIV transmission, and in the reduction in mortality among people living with HIV,' he said.Mafeni observed that the efforts made in Botswana to combat HIV/AIDS have enabled people living with the virus to maintain active and productive lives.