Hope Restored: Supporting 300 Vulnerable Children

HOPE worldwide Botswana appreciates your continued belief in Hope Restored! Through your generosity, our team continues to reach the most vulnerable HIV-affected families in Bontleng and Broadhurst. This reporting period, we served 231 individuals (161 children and 70 caregivers) delivering 783 services across health, psychosocial, education, and protection support.

Keeping Children Healthy and on Treatment

Our caseworkers provided HIV adherence support to 67 clients and monitored treatment through 64 clients on multi-month drug dispensing, with 51 of them stable enough for a full 3-month supply. WASH (water, sanitation, & hygiene) and HIV-prevention education reached all 231 beneficiaries, and 128 school-age children had their attendance monitored across the program. We continue strengthening referral pathways with local clinics to keep children and caregivers safely on treatment.

One caregiver, Lopang Gosiame (36), had interrupted her HIV treatment and repeatedly missed clinic appointments. Over roughly a month, the OVC Facilitator carried out sustained home visits, adherence counselling, and psychosocial support, never giving up despite countless setbacks. When Lorato finally yielded, the Facilitator providedaccompanied referral to the health facility, waiting with her through the entire process of vital signs screening, counselling, and consultation.

Lopang was successfully re-initiated on antiretroviral therapy and given a two-month supply of medication, committing to stay in care. As her children's sole caregiver, restoring her own treatment also protects her children's health and the stability of the household, one of the clearest examples of how sustained, compassionate follow-up changes outcomes for an entire family.

Restoring Vision, Expanding Opportunity

In Ledumang, Broadhurst, a routine home visit uncovered that Gaone Wametsi, a young OVC beneficiary, had been struggling with her eyesight for some time. Accompanied referral was provided for her to Bontleng Eye Clinic, where she received a full assessment and a treatment plan. Gaone and her caregiver said the accompaniment made all the difference in helping them navigate a healthcare system she was not sure how to approach alone.

In Bontleng, a 14-year-old beneficiary, Martin Timetso had been quietly struggling to see the chalkboard and keep up at school. Case management follow-up caught the issue, and a Community Facilitator accompanied him to an optometrist, where he was diagnosed with astigmatism in both eyes and fitted with prescription spectacles. What looked like a small errand, a ride to an eye clinic, has given a 14-year-old boy the ability to see clearly, learn confidently, and keep pace with his classmates.

Meeting Basic Needs, Restoring Dignity

Through routine household assessments, HwwB OVC Facilitators also identify families facing material hardship to link them to services. This period, a caregiver struggling financially received donated winter clothing for her children, easing a burden that had left her worried about how her children would stay warm enough to attend school through the cold season. The clothing let her redirect her limited resources toward food and school supplies instead, a reminder that dignity is often restored through the smallest, most practical acts of generosity.

What We Have Accomplished Together

This reporting period (April to June)

• 231 active beneficiaries reached (161 children, 70 caregivers) across Bontleng and Broadhurst, Gaborone
• 783 services delivered, spanning HIV adherence support, WASH, prevention education, women's health counseling, developmental monitoring, and school attendance follow-up
• 54% of those that know their HIV status target (161 of 300) reached, an area we are actively working to strengthen
• 67 clients received HIV adherence support; 64 clients tracked on multi-month drug dispensing, with 51 stable on a full 3-month supply
• 128 school-age children had monthly school attendance monitored; 34 children supported through play and stimulation activities
• 3 formal medical referrals completed, plus accompanied referrals to eye care services and one client re-initiated onto antiretroviral therapy after a month of sustained follow-up

Moving Forward

In the months ahead, we are focused on closing the gap toward our target of 300 vulnerable children, with particular attention to those that do not know their HIV status, which currently sits furthest behind. Our plan includes intensifying household visits and beneficiary tracing, scheduling appointments during weekends and after-work hours to reach caregivers who work during the day and building a structured outreach schedule to make the most of each working day.

We are also strengthening reminder calls and follow-up visits ahead of appointments, conducting weekly data reviews to catch gaps early, and continuing to advocate for increasing Community Facilitator availability from three working days per week to five, so we can reach more families more consistently.

You are not just funding a program, you are restoring health, sight, warmth, and hope to families who are working hard to stay together. Every home visit, every accompanied referral, every child who can see the chalkboard clearly again: it all happens because you chose to stand with us.

Thank you for not forgetting them.

Thank you for your continued belief in Hope Restored! Through your generosity, our team has been reaching the most vulnerable HIV-affected families in Bontleng and Broadhurst. In February alone, we served 119 individuals (79 children and 40 caregivers), delivering 127 services across health, psychosocial, and education support.

Keeping Children Healthy and on Treatment

Our caseworkers conducted 40 home visits, providing HIV adherence counseling to 43 clients and completing 56 medical card reviews. Thirteen children maintained 100% clinic attendance, and 37 caregivers reviewed for viral load testing and ART clinic appointments attendance. We continue working to strengthen our partnership with local government clinics, through the Town Clerk's office.

Restoring Safety: Overcoming Intimate Partner Violence

In Maruapula, our team identified a 46-year-old woman who had been living with intimate partner violence. Her distress was profound, fear and instability had taken hold of her daily life. Our caseworkers provided psychosocial counseling at her home and arranged an accompanied referral to the Botswana Gender Based Violence Prevention & Support Centre for specialized support. The change has been transformative. "I am emotionally much more stable than before. I am grateful and happy that HOPE worldwide Botswana assisted me during one of the most difficult times in my life," she shared. Her confidence and sense of safety are being rebuilt, one visit at a time.

Giving Children a Legal Identity

In Ledumang, we met a mother of two whose children had no birth certificates, one had been lost, the other never issued. Without legal documentation, these children risked being shut out of school, healthcare, and social services. Our team accompanied the mother to the National and Civil Registration Office, guiding her through the process from start to finish. Both children now have birth certificates. They can access education and healthcare without barriers. A small step on paper; a life-changing milestone for this family.

What We Have Accomplished Together

In January and February 2026:

• 119 active beneficiaries (79 children, 40 caregivers) across 2 sites
• 127 services delivered including health education, psychosocial support, and educational assistance
• 14 new families enrolled into the program this month
• 1 household with 2 children successfully graduated from the program
• 66 school-age children had their attendance monitored; homework support provided at Bontleng Primary School
• 3 referrals made, one to the Botswana Gender Based Violence Prevention & Support Centre, a safety shelter for survivors of GBV and children registrations to the Civil Registration Office

Moving Forward

In the months ahead, we are focused on expanding household enrollment toward our target of 100 households, securing more clinics partnership approval to improve treatment tracking, and intensifying psychosocial counseling and school support. We are also working to increase staff availability from three to five working days to extend our reach.

You are not just funding a program, you are restoring dignity, identity, and hope to families who had nearly given up. Every home visit, every birth certificate obtained, every child staying in school: it all happens because you chose to stand with us.

Thank you for not forgetting them.