Sponsor a Child in Botswana

Some facts about Botswana

Botswana's total population is roughly 2 million and its capital is Gaborone. Nearly forty years of uninterrupted multi-party democracy, constantly rising GDP levels and modern social welfare policies have transformed Botswana into a role model for many other African states.

At around 7 per cent annual growth, the economy of Botswana is currently one of the fastest growing in the world. The country's most important economic resource is diamonds.

However, the country has been trying to reduce its economic dependence on diamonds. Exports and services account for roughly 30 per cent of the country's GDP. The population is made up of around 20 different ethnologic groups with the "Setswana" being the largest. Poverty and inequality remain high in spite of Botswana's economic uptrend.

The country is characterised by a fairly large middle-class-population, compared to most other African states.

At 8.9 per cent of the GDP, Botswana's government is also spending more on education than most other countries in the region. Its GDP has been on the rise during the last two decades. Within only a few decades after Botswana became an independent nation, the country has managed to work its way up from the group of less developed countries (LDCs) to a middle income country.

In spite of Botswana's impressive macroeconomic growth, rates of poverty and inequality remain persistently high. 23 per cent of Botswana's population still have to eke out a living on less than 1.25 US dollars a day.

Undernourishment issues also conflict with the country's economic uptrend as 26 per cent of the people in Botswana struggle to cover the daily minimum calorie requirements.

Access to decent sanitation facilities is generally good in urban areas but remains precarious in some rural parts of the country.

The HIV/AIDS pandemic that affects Botswana remains the country's main health concern. At 24.8 per cent, the country has one of the highest HIV/AIDS prevalence rates in the entire world. Apart from the immense human suffering that AIDS is causing, the economic impact of the disease in Botswana is also considerable. HIV/AIDS generally hits adults in their most economically productive years.

Due to increased mortality and chronic illness, the labour force in Botswana is constantly reduced, which in turn affects households and individual families. Because of HIV, life expectancy at birth has dropped noticeably in Botswana and most of Sub-Saharan Africa over the past decades. Nonetheless, the country is making progress: Botswana's Prevention of Mother to Child HIV Transmission (PMCT) programs have been praised as the most successful in Africa. 96% of babies born under the program are HIV negative and Botswana is the first country to reach nearly 80 per cent coverage for such services. The government has shown a high level of dedication in terms of fighting HIV. HIV treatment programs in Botswana are highly advanced and anti-retroviral drugs are readily available.