The rise and fall of civil society in Botswana (Part 2)

Yesteryear: An old banner on the ABCs of HIV and AIDS. The disease continues to be a public health challenge
Yesteryear: An old banner on the ABCs of HIV and AIDS. The disease continues to be a public health challenge

Some are still regarded as heroes and heroines in the field of HIV and AIDS, especially for their bravery and total self-sacrifice in the fight against stigmatisation.

Their efforts were centred on combating HIV/AIDS misinformation and discrimination, years back when treatment was yet to be discovered.

Special mention must go to the then AIDS/STD Unit under the Ministry of Health that back then supported the ideas of the likes of David Ngele, Helen Ditsebe-Mhone, and Dipuo Bogatsu to form a support group for People Living with HIV (PLHIV). Overtime, Ngele would become the Chairperson of BONEPWA+ and later its National Coordinator, while Ditsebe-Mhone would then form an NGO, first as a support group, which in turn would become The Coping Centre for People Living with HIV and AIDS (COCEPWA).

Editor's Comment
Molepolole unrest: Urgent attention on missing person cases

From Jakoba's mysterious disappearance on November 9 to the grim discovery of his remains at Mosinki Lands, a gap in the response mechanisms of the police and village leadership has been laid bare. The community's anger is evident, seen in the attack on Bakang Masole, the man found driving Jakoba's taxi and the main suspect, and the subsequent riot. Residents express discontent, citing a troubling trend of missing persons cases often...

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