Botswana is landlocked country and is located at the center of Southern Africa, a strategically positioned bridge between South Africa, Namibia, Angola, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Prior to its independence in 1966, Botswana was one of the poorest countries in the world. Post-independence, it rapidly became one of the world’s development success stories. It is one of Africa’s most stable countries and the continent’s longest continuous multi-party democracy. It is relatively free of corruption and has a good human rights record.
Sparsely populated, Botswana protects some of Africa’s largest areas of wilderness. Safari-based tourism – tightly-controlled and often upmarket – is an important source of income.
Botswana is among the world top producers of diamonds and the trade has transformed it into a middle-income nation.
However, the country has had its share of problems: It once had the world’s highest rate of HIV-Aids infection. UN figures for 2014 suggest that for adults aged 15 to 49 the prevalence rate was 25%. The country has one of Africa’s most-advanced HIV and AIDS treatment programmes, however, and medicine for the virus is readily available.
In Botswana, Children face several challenges such as malnutrition, sexual and other forms of abuse, poverty, orphan hood, abduction and trafficking, and HIV and AIDS. These challenges not only have affected children’s lifestyles but have also constituted a challenge to service providers, especially social work practitioners.
