By Maryanne W. WAWERU Oratile Aisha Kalake, 24, is a peer educator and Youth Action Movement (YAM) member at the Botswana Family Welfare Association (BOFWA). Botswana is a landlocked country in southern Africa with a population of 2.5 million. BOFWA is IPPF’s Member Association in the country, while the YAM is the youth arm of IPPF Africa Region’s volunteer body based within the Member Associations (MAs). Oratile holds the position of BOFWA YAM Secretary. Oratile, a Public Health graduate has for the last four years dedicated her time and resources to advocating for the sexual reproductive health and rights (SRHR) of Motswana adolescents and youth. In this article, Oratile talks more about her passion for SRHR advocacy work, the insights she has gained through this, and her plans for the future. My journey as a young volunteer with BOFWA “I became acquainted with BOFWA after attending a training session the MA had organized for students on the topic of Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE). During the training, BOFWA talked about the work of the Youth Action Movement (YAM), and the organization’s engagement with young people. As a student pursuing studies in public health, BOFWA’s work with young people appealed to me as I felt that it fit right well with my passion and career goals. Inspired, I made the decision to become a YAM member. My engagement as a YAM member has been of great benefit to me –at both personal and professional levels. Through BOFWA, I have participated in countless capacity building sessions, such as trainings, conferences, and webinars, where I have increased my knowledge on SRHR issues –particularly among adolescents and youth. In these forums, I have made presentations on the experiences of Motswana adolescents and youth –drawn from my peer education activities as a YAM member. I have represented their voices in influential spaces. My inputs in these forums have been insightful towards the development of strategies, guidelines and even policies that touch on adolescent and youth SRHR (AYSRHR). This exposure has helped me to become a strong advocate for AYSRHR in Botswana.  Through YAM activities, I have also expanded my social network as I have been able to meet with admirable individuals in the policy-making spaces, including Ministers and other top government officials. I have met many like-minded people with whom we have exchanged important information and experiences. Worrisome rates of teenage pregnancy in Botswana Early pregnancy is a significant public health concern in Botswana and is a major reason why girls drop out of school. Botswana has a high rate of teenage pregnancies, with the UNFPA indicating that the adolescent birth rate per 1,000 girls aged 15-19, 2024 stands at 50 per cent. I can elaborate the dire situation of teenage pregnancies in Botswana through the experience of one teenager that I know. Her name is Keamogetse* and she is a 17-year-old mother of three. While Keamogetse had a bright and promising future in her younger years, she unfortunately dropped out of school after her first pregnancy. Her second and third pregnancies happened thereafter in quick succession, with the spacing between all three children being just one year. All her children have been fathered by different men. I fear that Keamogetse will soon be pregnant with a fourth child. I fear that she may contract Sexually Transmitted Infections (SITs), including HIV. I worry that she will never be able to reach her full potential because of her early motherhood situation. Several people, including myself, have tried reaching out to her, but our efforts have been in vain. She remains unbothered about our counsel. I often ask myself: is it that our messages are not reaching young people like Keamogetse? Why aren’t sexually active teenagers taking up contraceptives? Where are the adults in her life? Where are we failing as society? Who is letting adolescents and teen moms like Keamogetse down? How BOFWA is addressing the teenage pregnancy scourge The situation of girls like Keamogetse only inspires me to do more, where we try to reach as many of them as possible through outreaches and through the BOFWA clinics spread across the country. BOFWA has six operational clinics in Gaborone (Gaborone District), Mochudi (Kgatleng District), Kanye (Southern District), Francistown (North East District), Maun (Ngamiland District) and Kasane (Chobe District). As trained peer educators with BOFWA, we conduct outreaches in schools to educate young learners, thus empowering them to make healthy decisions about their sexual lives. In 2023, BOFWA reached 2,137 young people with Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE). I have had many of them give me feedback about how informative our sessions with them were, and how they are now better equipped to make empowered decisions about their sexual reproductive health. Our outreach activities with BOFWA sees us participate in regular mobile clinics in rural areas to reach more young people. Through these initiatives that particularly target out-of-school populations, we have reached thousands of youth in the community with sexual reproductive health messages and services. In 2023, BOFWA provided 38,450 services to adolescents and youth. These included family planning services, HIV counselling and testing, STI treatment and management, and abortion care services. My future plans My passion for young people’s health and the activities that I engage in as a young volunteer with BOFWA are aligned to my passion and my career goals. My continued engagement with BOFWA is helping me to enhance my skills and experience in the field of SRHR. I hope to become an influential leader in the public health space at a national level, and even move on to the regional and international levels. I hope to be in position where I can be part of the people who make decisions that have a positive impact with regard to community health, and especially the SRHR of young people. Who knows, I might even become Botswana’s Minister of Health someday! (not her real name). Follow IPPF Africa Region on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and You Tube.

Nairobi, 30 November 2021 - The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) and the Botswana Family Welfare Association (BOFWA) celebrate and welcome Botswana’s Court of Appeal’s decision to uphold a 2019 ruling that decriminalized same-sex relationships. On Monday 29 November 2021, five judges from the Court of Appeal unanimously ruled that criminalising same-sex relationships was a violation of the constitutional rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex and Queer (LGBTIQ+) individuals to dignity, liberty, privacy and equality. The offending sections of the Penal Code have been removed accordingly, as they were found to violate liberty, privacy and dignity and cause undue discrimination to the LGBTIQ+ community. This decision has affirmed Botswana’s commitment to uphold the democratic rights of all its citizens, including their full and complete sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). This appeal was the third to be heard by the full bench of the court of Appeal concerning constitutionality of the state actors, or sections of statutes challenged as breaching the fundamental rights of members of the LGBTIQ+ community. BOFWA, a member association of IPPF, plays a leading role in providing and championing access to high-quality and integrated SRHR for all those who are marginalised, underserved and in particular those groups who are often left behind. These communities include vulnerable and key populations such as the LGBTIQ+ communities and sex workers. In Partnership with SRHR and LGBTIQ+ activists, BOFWA advocates for the SRHR of all people of Botswana, regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity or status in society. Over the years, BOFWA has argued that criminalization of same-sex relations and associated stigma and discrimination gravely reduces access to SRHR services, including HIV interventions and other sexually transmitted infections. A distinguished leader in the SRHR sector, BOFWA was the first non-governmental organization in the country to provide antiretroviral treatment to key populations. Ms. Una Ngwenya, BOFWA’s Executive Director, expressed jubilation at the Court of Appeal’s decision. “The ruling will go a long way in addressing issues of stigma and discrimination against members of the same-sex community in Botswana. We believe that this decision will inspire members of this community to freely seek SRHR services and go on with their lives like everyone else; they don’t need labels but rather targeted and differentiated services! Still, we will not sit on our laurels, it is not over yet, members of the same-sex community face various challenges beyond the law; attitudes of service providers, moralizing sex and sexuality and complexities surrounding sexual and gender-based violence among communities remain critical. While we welcome the Court of Appeal’s judgement, we urge the Government to put in place stringent measures across the country’s health care system that will address the barriers and disparities preventing the LGBTIQ+ community’s access to sexual and reproductive health services. Equally, we call for the guaranteed safety and protection of our fellow civil society movements that continue to fight barriers and disparities that hinder this community’s access to sexual reproductive health services,” she says. Ms. Ngwenya adds that BOFWA and IPPF will not relent in their quest to advocate for SRHR-related issues, including laws that provide access to safe abortion and decriminalize sex work.   “IPPF welcomes Botswana’s ruling in favour of LGBTIQ+ equality and encourages other African countries to follow it. We reiterate our commitment to building the capacities of all our Member Associations, their partners and stakeholders, in ensuring that the sexual reproductive health and rights of all citizens across the world are upheld, unreservedly,” said Marie-Evelyne-Petrus-Barry, IPPF Africa Regional Director. END Media Contacts: -Mahmoud Garga, Lead Specialist - Strategic Communication, Media Relations and Digital Campaigning, IPPF Africa Regional Office (IPPFARO) – email: [email protected] -Phone +254 704 626 920 Maryanne Wanyama, Communications Office, IPPFARO, Nairobi (Kenya) - Email: [email protected] – Phone: +254 707 952 990   ABOUT IPPF AFRICA REGION (IPPFAR) The International Planned Parenthood Federation Africa Region (IPPFAR) is one of the leading providers of quality sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services in Africa, and a strong and resolute sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) advocacy voice in the region, committed to gender equality and to ensuring that women, girls and young people realize their rights and have control over their own bodies, their lives and their futures. Headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, the overarching goal of IPPFAR is to increase access to integrated SRHR services to the most vulnerable youth, men, and women in sub-Saharan Africa. Supported by thousands of volunteers, IPPFAR tackles the continent’s growing SRHR challenges through a committed network of Member Associations (MAs) in 40 countries. We do this by supporting and empowering the MAs into efficient entities with the capacity to deliver and sustain high-quality, youth-focused and gender-transformative services. We work with governments, the African Union, Regional Economic Commissions, the Pan-African Parliament, United Nations bodies among others to expand political and financial commitments to sexual and reproductive health and rights in Africa. Learn more about us on our website. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and You Tube.

Nairobi, 30 November 2021 - The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) and the Botswana Family Welfare Association (BOFWA) celebrate and welcome Botswana’s Court of Appeal’s decision to uphold a 2019 ruling that decriminalized same-sex relationships. On Monday 29 November 2021, five judges from the Court of Appeal unanimously ruled that criminalising same-sex relationships was a violation of the constitutional rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex and Queer (LGBTIQ+) individuals to dignity, liberty, privacy and equality. The offending sections of the Penal Code have been removed accordingly, as they were found to violate liberty, privacy and dignity and cause undue discrimination to the LGBTIQ+ community. This decision has affirmed Botswana’s commitment to uphold the democratic rights of all its citizens, including their full and complete sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). This appeal was the third to be heard by the full bench of the court of Appeal concerning constitutionality of the state actors, or sections of statutes challenged as breaching the fundamental rights of members of the LGBTIQ+ community. BOFWA, a member association of IPPF, plays a leading role in providing and championing access to high-quality and integrated SRHR for all those who are marginalised, underserved and in particular those groups who are often left behind. These communities include vulnerable and key populations such as the LGBTIQ+ communities and sex workers. In Partnership with SRHR and LGBTIQ+ activists, BOFWA advocates for the SRHR of all people of Botswana, regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity or status in society. Over the years, BOFWA has argued that criminalization of same-sex relations and associated stigma and discrimination gravely reduces access to SRHR services, including HIV interventions and other sexually transmitted infections. A distinguished leader in the SRHR sector, BOFWA was the first non-governmental organization in the country to provide antiretroviral treatment to key populations. Ms. Una Ngwenya, BOFWA’s Executive Director, expressed jubilation at the Court of Appeal’s decision. “The ruling will go a long way in addressing issues of stigma and discrimination against members of the same-sex community in Botswana. We believe that this decision will inspire members of this community to freely seek SRHR services and go on with their lives like everyone else; they don’t need labels but rather targeted and differentiated services! Still, we will not sit on our laurels, it is not over yet, members of the same-sex community face various challenges beyond the law; attitudes of service providers, moralizing sex and sexuality and complexities surrounding sexual and gender-based violence among communities remain critical. While we welcome the Court of Appeal’s judgement, we urge the Government to put in place stringent measures across the country’s health care system that will address the barriers and disparities preventing the LGBTIQ+ community’s access to sexual and reproductive health services. Equally, we call for the guaranteed safety and protection of our fellow civil society movements that continue to fight barriers and disparities that hinder this community’s access to sexual reproductive health services,” she says. Ms. Ngwenya adds that BOFWA and IPPF will not relent in their quest to advocate for SRHR-related issues, including laws that provide access to safe abortion and decriminalize sex work.   “IPPF welcomes Botswana’s ruling in favour of LGBTIQ+ equality and encourages other African countries to follow it. We reiterate our commitment to building the capacities of all our Member Associations, their partners and stakeholders, in ensuring that the sexual reproductive health and rights of all citizens across the world are upheld, unreservedly,” said Marie-Evelyne-Petrus-Barry, IPPF Africa Regional Director. END   Media Contacts: -Mahmoud Garga, Lead Specialist - Strategic Communication, Media Relations and Digital Campaigning, IPPF Africa Regional Office (IPPFARO) – email: [email protected] -Phone +254 704 626 920 Maryanne Wanyama, Communications Office, IPPFARO, Nairobi (Kenya) - Email: [email protected] – Phone: +254 707 952 990   ABOUT IPPF AFRICA REGION (IPPFAR) The International Planned Parenthood Federation Africa Region (IPPFAR) is one of the leading providers of quality sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services in Africa, and a strong and resolute sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) advocacy voice in the region, committed to gender equality and to ensuring that women, girls and young people realize their rights and have control over their own bodies, their lives and their futures. Headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, the overarching goal of IPPFAR is to increase access to integrated SRHR services to the most vulnerable youth, men, and women in sub-Saharan Africa. Supported by thousands of volunteers, IPPFAR tackles the continent’s growing SRHR challenges through a committed network of Member Associations (MAs) in 40 countries. We do this by supporting and empowering the MAs into efficient entities with the capacity to deliver and sustain high-quality, youth-focused and gender-transformative services. We work with governments, the African Union, Regional Economic Commissions, the Pan-African Parliament, United Nations bodies among others to expand political and financial commitments to sexual and reproductive health and rights in Africa. Learn more about us on our website. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and You Tube.