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Central Programmes
Past Supported Programmes
Alcohol Abuse and HIV Prevention
Botswana 's National HIV/AIDS Strategic Framework identified alcohol use as a key factor in the country's HIV/AIDS epidemic. In an attempt to bring the problem of alcohol and HIV/AIDS on the national agenda, ACHAP supported a national consultative workshop. During this workshop findings from five qualitative studies on Alcohol and HIV'AIDS in Botswana and international best-practices on how other countries are dealing with the problem were shared. Findings from the above mentioned studies and recommendations from workshop continue to inform policy and programme planning in the area of HIV/AIDS and alcohol in Botswana .
National Behavioral Change and Interventions Training Program
To build national capacity for the design and implementation of relevant behavior change interventions, ACHAP provided financial and technical assistance to NACA to design and implement the National Behavioral Change Interventions and Communications Training Programme. The original design of this three year programme revolved around a core six-person team of Master Trainers who would supply training, consultation, and capacity building to district- and community-level partners from government, civil society, and development organizations. A training manual was developed and 88 individuals were trained in theory and practical approaches for behavior change interventions and communication activities. After two years of implementation, the programme will be folded into the country’s larger scaled up prevention initiative
Botswana Christian AIDS Intervention Program (BOCAIP) Counselling Centres
BOCAIP was initiated in 1997 as part of the response of Botswana 's faith-based sector to the government's call for a multi-sector response to HIV/AIDS. ACHAP has supported the efforts of the Botswana Christian AIDS Intervention Program (BOCAIP) to establish counseling centers to provide HIV counseling and testing services for people seeking to know their HIV status. BOCAIP offers counseling and support to PLWHA's, pre-test counseling and community outreach and day care facilities. By promoting the a morally centered approach to HIV/AIDS prevention, BOCAIP is reaching out to those who would abstain or delay sexual acts. BOCAIP centers provide supportive post-test counseling for HIV-positive individuals and set up daycare facilities for orphans. The eleven BOCAIP centers now in existence have offered training to nearly 447 counselors, while BOCAIP's community mobilization and outreach activities have reached over half a million individuals. A recent evaluation found that BOCAIP clients felt more empowered perceived their self-esteem to have increased, and believed that the stigmatization of people living with HIV/AIDS was decreasing. ACHAP's Financial support to BOCAIP had been supporting HIV and counseling services and human resource in all the 11 centers.
Botswana Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS (BONEPWA )
Any HIV/AIDS intervention needs to be carefully designed with the best interests of people living with HIV/AIDS in mind. People living with HIV/AIDS have specific needs and concerns with regard to not only support and care but also legal rights and political representation. To this end, ACHAP has supported Botswana Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS. The support was towards formation of 16 support groups for people living with HIV/AIDS, strengthening BONEPWA's human resource capacity, increase access to information about anti-retroviral therapy amongst PLWAs, support a national conference for PLWAs. The outcomes of this support included amongst others: Formation of 68 support groups country wide, procurement of office equipment such as computers, camera, LSD projector for information management and documentation, recruitment, training of 9 adherence counselors and their placement at IDCC's to provide ongoing support, counseling, undertaking of PLWA national conference which attracted 50 participants, training of support group members on HIV treatment issues, general HIV/AIDS information, HIV/AIDS and nutrition, human rights, the management of support groups e.t.c and supporting salaries of implementing staff at BONEPWA.
COCEPWA
"The Coping Centres for People Living with HIV/AIDS (COCEPWA) have provided HIV-infected Batswana with a base and a platform from which to share experiences and challenges of being HIV positive," said Helen Ditsebe, the then COCEPWA leader who is HIV-positive. "ACHAP has provided us with a place we can call ours, a place run by People Living With HIV/AIDS, where we can stay in safety and work to fight the HIV/AIDS stigma. It is a dream come true. With ACHAP support, COCEPWA was able to grow in 2002 from two centers to six centers in Gaborone , Francistown , Molepolole, Serowe, Maun and Mochudi. COCEPWA had a full time staff of 44 and 1840 members. Services provided at these centers included post test counseling and support through strategies as the buddy programme, empowerment of PLWAs through training and skills building for livelihoods.
Condom Social Marketing
In addition to improving the supply of free condoms, ACHAP also supported efforts to promote branded condoms which are sold in kiosks and shops around Botswana at subsidised prices. ACHAP partnered with Population Services International (PSI) to support a national marketing campaign for Lover's Plus Ò condoms. The campaign, which addresses some of the myths and misconceptions surrounding condom usage aims to raise the sales of condoms in Botswana generally by promoting the Lovers Plus brand.
Centre for Youth of Hope (CEYOHO)
The Centre for Youth of Hope (CEYOHO) is an organization committed to mobilizing community support for People Living with HIV/AIDS. With support from ACHAP, CEYOHO provides counselling services and works to spread the message of de-stigmatization, HIV prevention and ARV adherence. The organization aims to provide role models of positive living through its annual and famous Miss HIV Stigma Free beauty pageant where the HIV positive queen will act as a spokesperson on behalf of the PLWHA community. ACHAP planned activities included building and strengthening the institutional capacity of CEYOHO, training 60 CEYOHO members in peer education, counseling, community mobilization and income generation and life skills, conducting 12 community workshops on stigma reduction and creating awareness among youth on ARV, PMTCT, IPT, VCT and other HIV/AIDS programmes available in Botswana. Some of the outcomes of this support included procurement of office equipment such as computers, printers, fax machines, VCR, TV and office furniture to facilitate project implementation, recruitment and training of project staff. These included project officers and financial officer. Technical support included development of organizational policies for human resource and financial management.
Dula Sentle
ACHAP also supported "Dula Sentle" [Stay Well], a community-based day-care center in the village of Otse in the South East District. The project fosters long-term development and welfare for orphans and vulnerable children by providing a caring environment. The children visit the center after school and participate in skill building games, singing, and other activities. They also receive a hot meal, clothing and emotional support and guidance. ACHAP support allowed for an increase in the capacity of the facility from 32 to 200 children. 
The project as a whole focused on sustainability and aims to provide a model of community-based care that can be implemented across Botswana . Towards ensuring its sustainability, Dula Sentle begun developing an Otse-based camp site, open to tourists and serving as a source of income and also providing a location where orphans and vulnerable children can engage in recreational activities during their holidays and vacations. Other income generating projects such as a vegetable garden and tea shop are planned to ensure financial sustainability and provide employment for some of the children as they grow older.
Grants to Small Community Based Projects
In the interest to identify need driven and innovative ideas from the Community Based Organizations, ACHAP supported Botswana Network of AIDS Services Organization (BONASO) to administer Small Grants to these grassroots intervention. A total of 161 community projects accessed funding from ACHAP to undertake projects in various thematic areas such as community mobilization towards HIV/AIDS services, HIV/AIDS awareness campaigns, Orphan care projects, capacity building projects, and income generating projects for Support Groups and Orphans. At the end of funding BONASO documented lessons learnt from administering this fund and detailed some of the promising interventions undertaken by CBOs.
Light and Courage Centre
The Light and Courage Center was founded in 1998 by the Francistown District Multi Sector AIDS Committee (DMSAC) as a day care center. The aim of the center was to provide help and support for the HIV/AIDS infected and affected people of Francistown . It is now a Community Based Organisation (CBO) managed by a board of trustees elected from the local community. Their overall goal is to extend the capacity of the Light and Courage Centre in the provision of care, support and palliative services in Francistown over 4 years. ACHAP committed some funds to cover the administrative costs for a period of a year, and also support organizational evaluation costs to establish the capacity of Light & Courage Center in providing services to PLWAs.
Resource Centres at District Hospitals
It has often being said that knowledge is power. The arrival of ARV Therapy in Botswana has created a need to inform patients and their families about HIV/AIDS, ARV therapy and related medical issues. To assist in this process, ACHAP has established hospital-based resource centers to provide HIV/AIDS information for patients and families, as well as HIV counseling and HIV/AIDS information for communities. The resource centers were built as a replica of the Lobatse Athlone resource center, an information providing facility for health care workers. ACHAP supported the provision of resource centers at six hospitals of Maun, Kasane, Serowe, Molepolole, Mahalapye and Selibe-Phikwe. The main objective of the resource centers was to provide information on HIV/AIDS to patients and the community- They were also to promote counseling services for HIV testing for those who needed to know about their HIV status. Two additional resource Centres were built and donated to Francistown District, located in low income areas of Gerald and Monarch Estates in the periphery of the city. These will be used by the communities to access share and exchange information on HIV/AIDS, with the view that it will promote and influence voluntary behavior change. Back to top
