For the last three years, SSI has served as a sub-partner for PCI on a ground-breaking USAID (United States Agency for International Development) initiative to combat the spread of HIV among young people. During this time, SSI implemented community-based programs to meet the needs of Orphaned and Vulnerable Care (OVC) and Adolescent Girls & Young Women (AGYW) in various districts throughout Botswana.
We are proud to share that USAID has since selected SSI to begin receiving direct funding for this program as a result of our ability to not only fulfil but exceed the expectations of our previous role in order to meet the needs of our community. In February 2020 we started implementing the “Breaking Barriers to an HIV Free Generation” program in the Kgatleng and Goodhope Districts. This is in order to continue our vital work to prevent new HIV infections and reduce vulnerability among OVC and AGYW.
About the Project
The project aims to prevent new HIV infections and reduce vulnerability among orphaned vulnerable children and adolescent girls and young women through Healthy, Safe, Schooled and Stable domains. Our community service providers assess each family’s needs and provide the following interventions:
- Health services
- Life skills and sexual reproductive health education
- Youth financial literacy with the Aflateen curriculum
- Caregiver financial literacy through the WE-GROW program
- Parent-child communication interventions to improve positive parenting and reduce child abuse, exploitation or neglect through the Pinagare program
In a short but auspicious two-hour ceremony with the United States Ambassador and other government officials present, we were presented with a cheque. Which will fund the program for the next coming three years, alongside four other local organisations.
We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to Project Concern International (PCI Botswana) for assisting us in our transition process to receive direct funding, and to the government of United States for funding our program. We look forward to continuing to breaking barriers to an HIV free Botswana!
Watch a short message from our Executive Director about the project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmSagjjd-58