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
Routine child vaccination imperative

The recent Vaccination Day in Motokwe, orchestrated through collaborative efforts between UNICEF, USAID, BRCS, and the Ministry of Health, underscores a commendable stride towards fortifying child health services.The painful reality as reflected by the Ministry of Health's data regarding the decline in routine immunisation coverage since the onset of the pandemic, is a cause for concern.It underscores the urgent need to address the...

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