Government Affairs

Skills exchange in Botswana

Botswana has one of the highest HIV/AIDS infection rates in the world. Toronto Public Health (TPH), on behalf of the City, is leading an exchange of skills and expertise in fighting the ravages of this disease. TPH has also been building partnerships with nonprofit agencies to respond to the HIV/ AIDS pandemic. For example, Casey House provided mentoring and training on palliative care and support for people in the last stages of AIDS to Home Based Care staff in Botswana.

The partnership is now focused primarily on youth engagement. Educational, cultural and recreational initiatives targeting youth have proven highly successful in HIV/ AIDS prevention. Young people in Botswana particularly enjoy playing soccer, so the City and the South East District Council, in partnership with Commonwealth Games Canada and the Mathare Youth Sports Association in Kenya, established a youth-led Kicking AIDS Out initiative (now known as the South East District Youth Empowerment League, or SEDYEL). A new youth centre has opened in the South East District of Botswana and 100 teams have now been established – 27 of which are girls’ teams (a first for Botswana!). An estimated 2,000 children and youth from all villages in the district are participating in SEDYEL activities.

Councillor Kyle Rae opened the much anticipated youth centre, which was funded primarily through the City of Toronto Global AIDS Fund. The Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) provided funding so that the councillor and staff from TPH – Barbara Emanuel and Liz Janzen – could be on hand for the official opening and celebration. An estimated 300 people turned out for the occasion.

“Toronto’s compassion, caring and generosity have built a foundation of hope for the future,” says Councillor Rae. “Creating a safe space for youth to play soccer and learn about HIV/AIDS prevention is a legacy Toronto can be very proud of establishing in rural Botswana.”

While violence prevention was never identified as a specific goal of the partnership, anecdotal evidence indicates a marked decrease in youth violence as a result of SEDYEL. Now, former gang members are in leadership positions. A high percentage of the district’s youth are also involved in the football league as coaches, referees, players, peer educators and theatre performers.

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