Psychosocial Support to Orphans and Vulnerable Children: the Botswana Experience

The experience of orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) in witnessing their parents going through illness and eventual death is a traumatic one. These children also have the challenge of adjusting to and coping with sometimes little known family members who take over the responsibility of caring for them. It is on this basis that OVC thus need effective psychosocial care and support services that can address such situations. This study was undertaken in Mogoditshane and Tlokweng in Botswana in 2007. In particular the study set out to identify the psychosocial needs of OVC and to determine factors that facilitate the provision of psychosocial services to OVC and factors that inhibit or discourage the provision of such support. The study also intended to identify measures through which families, households, teachers, social workers and other support structures could cope in providing psychosocial support services OVC. The study used qualitative methods. Systematic and purposive sampling criteria were used to select the respondents. The respondents consisted of OVC, parents/guardians, guidance and counseling teachers, social workers, policy makers and other stakeholders