The rise and fall of civil society in Botswana (Part 1)

From the ground up: HIV activists were amongst the earliest examples of civil society responding to national challenges
From the ground up: HIV activists were amongst the earliest examples of civil society responding to national challenges

In 1999, David Chizao Ngele, the first Motswana to go public with his HIV+ status, together with his fellow comrades in the then HIV anti-stigma support group, convened a lunch meeting at the Red Cross offices, under the auspices of the AIDS/STDs Unit with the aim of lobbying for more support from government.

Even though the meeting started off as an informal discussion, it would heat up towards 3pm in the same afternoon when one of the support group members suggested that the meeting be formally recorded. That individual would at the end of the meeting be elected the Chairperson of the interim committee, namely Ngele.

The AIDS/STD Unit then supported Ngele with the task of mobilising other potential HIV+ candidates and activists and not long after, along with his fellow comrades in the HIV anti-stigma struggle then, the Botswana Network of People Living with HIV and AIDS (BONEPWA+) was born and registered in 2000.

Editor's Comment
BDP primaries leave a lot to be desired

The BDP as a party known to have ample resources has always held its primaries well in time, but this time around that was not the case. The first leg of the primaries was held last weekend, with the final leg being billed for the coming weekend. This time around, the BDP failed to shine in its primary elections. The elections were chaotic; most if not all polling stations didn't open at the specified time of 6am. Loyal BDP members braved the...

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