The Government of the Republic of Botswana on 3rd February, 2012, donated food supplies and blankets to the Government of the Republic of Mozambique as humanitarian relief assistance.
This follows the recent heavy floods in the southern part of the country, which have so far claimed lives of many people and left tens of thousands homeless. It is further reported that the floods have also caused extensive damage to valuable properties like schools and health centres.
KANYE - Projections indicate that HIV/AIDS related deaths are down by around 60 per cent from an estimated 14 700 in 2003 to 6 200 by the end of 2010.
The reduction is attributed to introduction of the anti-retroviral programme, said President Lt Gen. Seretse Khama Ian Khama during the World AIDS Day commemoration in Moshupa yesterday.
With full treatment access and further personal responsibilities for one's own health, President said the nation can aspire for zero AIDS related deaths by 2016.
Gaborone, 05 September 2011-NAIROBI - Seabelo Group managing director, Mr Seabelo Tlhaselo has saved government millions of Pula by offering two trucks, for free, to transport food aid to Somalis residing in Kenyan camps. During a brief meeting with the Botswana High Commissioner to Kenya, Mr Charles Mogotsi, Mr Tlhaselo said he made the offer in response to President Lt Gen. Seretse Khama Ian Khama's appeal to him for transportation of the consignment.
Upon its arrival in Nairobi the Botswana Defence Force (BDF) plane carrying foodstuffs and blankets, was met by Botswana's High Commissioner to Kenya, Mr. Charles Mogotsi, who formally handed over the goods in a ceremony, which was also attended by Kenya's Assistant Minister for Special Programmes, the Honourable Mohammad Ali.
In his remarks, High Commissioner Mogotsi emphasized that the current drought in the Horn of Africa was affecting neighbouring countries such as Kenya, as well as Somalia and southern Ethiopia.
Gaborone, 01 August 2011- Botswana has donated food aid worth P500 000 to famine hit Somalia. A Botswana Defence Force (BDF) plane carrying water, canned beef and other essentials departs for Kenya today where the aid will be handed over to the World Food Programme (WFP) for distribution to Somali refugees.
TUTUME - There are indications that most Angolan refugees at the Dukwi Refugee Camp still harbour fears related to returning to their home country.
In a meeting addressed by the Angolan Minister of Social Assistance and Reintegration, Mr Joao Kussumua at the camp on Saturday, it was revealed that only 29 refugees out of a total of 506 had indicated their desire to return home.
TSABONG - Acute water supply in Kgalagadi
District remains a challenge despite the recent heavy rains countrywide.
Opening the full council session on Tuesday,
the chairperson, Mr Frans Van Der Westhuizen said water shortage in most
villages is attributed to either decline in borehole yields or perpetual
engine breakdown.
The chairperson said the water crisis
issue surfaced during President Khama's recent visit to the district, thereafter
a meeting to discuss the situation was convened at the Ministry of Local
Government
Gaborone, 28 February 2011 - Following
the recent devastating floods which claimed the lives of several people
and displaced about 6000 others, as well as causing extensive damage to
valuable property in eight of the nine provinces in South Africa, the Government
of the Republic of Botswana has donated food and blankets valued at Five
Hundred Thousand Pula (P500 000) as humanitarian relief assistance to the
Republic of South Africa.
The donation was delivered to the National
Disaster Management Centre in Pretoria on Saturday 26th February 2011.
A vetrinary official, Dr Elisha Nyakarombo
has warned the reisdents that Gwanda is only 30 kilometres from the border
hence it was a source of grave concern.
He urged farmers to restrict their livestock
movement within the border to avoid the risk of FMD spilling into the country.
He also urged the residents to ensure
utmost corporation as the patrols are going to be intensified within the
cordon fence.
The country is still awaiting a response
from the European Union for zone seven to be declared an FMD free zone.
MAHALAPYE - Shoshong and Tswapong South
villages are threatened by floods. There are fears that most homes will
be submerged in the flood waters.
According to Shoshong, Machaneng and
Martin's Drift police, the villages most affected by floods are Shoshong,
Kalamare, Ngwapa, Mokobeng, Chadibe and Letoreng where it has also been
reported that some housing structures have started collapsing.
Water from the over spilling Shoshong
and Mpolonyane rivers have started gushing into homesteads.
PALAPYE - Continued economic challenges
propel government to find strategies of maximising delivery with less expenditure.
"It has become clearer to us all
that we must attach even greater importance to our delivery, increasing
the level of our performance and doing more with less. The 2009/2010 HIV/AIDS
budget was P1.3 billion. This is not only high, it is unsustainable,"
said President Lt Gen. Seretse Khama Ian Khama.
He was officiating at the World AIDS
Day commemoration in Palapye yesterday.
GABORONE - Botswana has recorded a decline
in Malaria cases and it is now amongst the six countries in the region
whose declining trends in the disease's transmission places the elimination
of malaria over the next five years within reach.
"In 2000, we experienced more than
71 000 cases of Malaria and last year the cases declined to 14 878, while
within the same period death cases also dropped from 55 to seven,"
the Acting Director in the Department of Public Health, Mr Setswana Mokgweetsinyana
announced at a recent press conference.
CUBA - Botswana has requested Cuba to provide
it with drugs that can help treat ailments associated with diabetes.
Minister of Health, Dr John Seakgosing,
made the plea during President Lt Gen. Seretse Khama Ian Khama's three-day
state visit to Cuba this week.
Dr Seakgosing said Botswana was struggling
to provide diabetic patients with appropriate medication especially those
who develop sores hence Cuba was their hope since it had developed a drug
to treat them.
"Cuba has been able to develop medication,
which can assist our diabetic patients and we only need them to register
GHANZI - The Ghanzi District is said to
be the most tuberculosis afflicted district in the country.
The principal medical officer for Ghanzi
District, Dr Kamayi Ntumba said the district has an average of 1 100 cases
per 100 000 people while the national rate is an average of 506 cases per
100 000 population.
He said between 2006 and May 2010, they
registered about 2 500 TB patients in the district. Dr Ntumba said they
used to have an average a number of 350 patients on treatment per year,
adding that the number may rise to 400 judging by the current trend.
GABORONE - The Libyan Fund for Investment
Promotion through its Botswana embassy has donated 500 school bags to the
Masiela Trust Fund.
Handing over the donation last Friday,
the acting charge d affaires at the embassy, Mr Mohmoud Ameer said as one
of the oldest embassies in Botswana, they are committed to invest the funds
finances to help in providing material assistance in a bid to build dignity
amongst the citizens.
He said that they have witnessed the
continued growth of development between the two countries which have long
shared the same common values and interests.
GABORONE - The law must be used to change
the status quo in order to improve universal access to HIV/AIDS treatment
and prevention.
The Regional Magistrate (South), Mr Lot
Moroka said during the BONELA annual general meeting in Gaborone on Friday
that HIV/AIDS is a human rights issue which called for the effective change
agents such as BONELA.
He said that the effective battle against
the disease is one of access to anti-retroviral drugs and preventive measures.
Mr Moroka noted that the prevalence of
HIV/AIDS has rendered the law impotent.
GABORONE - Botswana will, by the end of
March, report to the United Nations the progress made on the Declaration
of Commitment on HIV/AIDS, which was signed in 2001.
Speaking during a National AIDS Council
(NAC) meeting in Gaborone yesterday, former president, Mr Festus Mogae
said this would be done through the use of UNGASS indicators, showing achievements
and challenges of the past nine years.
The former president noted that this
would be a highly consultative undertaking, which will call for maximum
participation from all stakeholders. Mr Mogae, who is NAC chairperson,
GABORONE - UNAIDS executive director, Mr
Michel Sidibe has requested government to look at its prevention programme
in a bid to reengineer its social approach to the HIV/AIDS scourge.
Mr Sidibe, who was on a two-day visit
to the country, paid a courtesy call ono the Speaker of the National Assembly,
Ms Margaret Nasha on Wednesday.
UNAIDS is the main advocate for global
action on the epidemic. Started in 1996, it strengthens and supports expanded
response aimed at preventing transmission of HIV, providing care and support,
MMATSHUMO Lack of shelter for mobile clinics
within the environs of Mmatshumo has had a negative impact on services
delivery to patients during bad weather conditions.
This was said by the nurse in charge
at Mmatshumo Clinic, Mr Oduetse Laolang during a meeting Boteti North legislator,
Mr Slumber Tsogwane held with the clinic staff.
The meeting aimed at discussing areas
of concern as well as the status of progress in the delivery of services
to the patients.
According to Mr Laolang, Mmatshumo Clinic
has 12 mobile stops which are visited once in a month.
SELEBI PHIKWE - Limited access to
information on the prevention of HIV/AIDS puts remote area dwellers at
risk of contracting the virus, participants at the World AIDS Day commemoration
in Selebi-Phikwe observed recently.
The event was organised by Selebi Phikwe
DMSAC and Kagiso/ Sesame Ward Multi-Sectoral Aids Committee (WMSAC), in
collaboration with the towns AIDS coordinating office.
A Community Conversation Enhancement
Programme (CCEP) was used to engage the community to discuss the theme
of the event.
