BONELA

27/08/2026

𝐁𝐎𝐍𝐄𝐋𝐀, 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐋𝐎𝐁𝐀𝐋 𝐅𝐔𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐁/𝐇𝐈𝐕 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐉𝐄𝐂𝐓, 𝐈𝐒 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐃𝐔𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐖𝐎-𝐃𝐀𝐘 𝐂𝐀𝐏𝐀𝐂𝐈𝐓𝐘-𝐁𝐔𝐈𝐋𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐊𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐏𝐒 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐕𝐈𝐂𝐄 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐕𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐒 𝐎𝐍 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐒𝐑𝐇𝐑, 𝐏𝐎𝐒𝐓-𝐆𝐁𝐕 𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐇𝐈𝐕 𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐕𝐈𝐂𝐄𝐒

✅ Ghanzi, Charles Hill and Hukuntsi Districts: Done and Dusted!
📅 11–14 August and 24–25 August 2026

📍 Mabutsane District: Underway
📅 27–28 August 2026

BONELA continues to strengthen the capacity of service providers to deliver integrated, rights-based and youth-friendly SRHR, post-GBV, TB and HIV services for adolescent girls and young women (AGYW), boys and young men, persons with disabilities and other priority populations. 🏥⚖️
Key outcomes from Ghanzi and Charles Hill include:
🔹 Stronger referral pathways between health, social protection, police, community and legal-aid services;
🔹 Improved survivor-centred GBV response and timely access to PEP;
🔹 Greater emphasis on confidential, non-discriminatory and youth-friendly services;
🔹 Increased understanding of human rights, inclusion and accountability in healthcare; and
🔹 An established Justice Forum in Charles Hill to strengthen access to justice for AGYW, boys and young men, including persons with disabilities. ♿⚖️
The journey continues in Hukuntsi before moving to Mabutsane! Together, we are building services that are available, accessible, acceptable, inclusive, and responsive to the realities of every community. 💙

19/08/2026

🌍⚖️ 𝐄𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐄𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐇𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐑𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐁𝐨𝐭𝐬𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐚’𝐬 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

Today, BONELA participated in the Health & One Health Innovation Forum, contributing a civil society perspective on building a health and bio-economy that benefits everyone. 🧬🏥

The presentation, delivered by Nana Gleeson, BONELA’s Finance, Operations and Resource Mobilization Manager, on behalf of the Executive Director, Cindy Kelemi, highlighted that innovation is truly successful only when it expands participation, protects human rights and ensures that benefits reach all communities, particularly those who are marginalised or underserved. 🤝🏾

BONELA called for:
✅ Meaningful community participation in decision-making
✅ Gender-balanced and inclusive governance
✅ Ethical, consent-based and unbiased use of health data and AI
✅ Fair sharing of knowledge, opportunities and economic benefits
✅ Strong privacy, accountability and access-to-remedy mechanisms
✅ Human rights and equity criteria in innovation funding and implementation

As Botswana strengthens its health innovation ecosystem, communities must be recognised as rights-holders and equal partners not as an afterthought or merely as sources of data and knowledge. 🗣️💡

Equity builds trust. Human rights reduce harm. Inclusion improves relevance. Together, they make health innovation stronger and more sustainable. 🇧🇼✨
Thrive Development Initiative

19/08/2026

📻 Catch BONELA together with the Ministry of Health (MOH) and Botswana Police Service on RB2 this Thursday, 20th August at 23:00hrs, on The Wind Down Show, for an important conversation on “Breaking the Silence.”

We’ll be unpacking why men often suffer in silence, exploring the barriers that prevent men from speaking up, and discussing the importance of creating safe spaces where men can openly express themselves and seek support.

Tune in and be part of the conversation as we work together to break the silence and get men talking. 🎙️

19/08/2026

18/08/2026

🌍⛏️⚡ 𝗠𝗜𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗚 & 𝗘𝗡𝗘𝗥𝗚𝗬 𝗜𝗡𝗡𝗢𝗩𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗨𝗠
Unlocking Value: From Natural Resources to Innovation-Driven Green Industrial Growth
BONELA is attending the Forum, engaging on the links between climate justice, biodiversity protection, socio-economic rights and inclusive green growth. 🌱🇧🇼
A just transition must ensure that innovation and economic development protect both people and the environment. 🤝💚
The Forum continues tomorrow with Thrive Development Initiative.
Thrive Development Initiative

17/08/2026

𝐁𝐎𝐍𝐄𝐋𝐀 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝟗𝐭𝐡 𝐇𝐈𝐕 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞

The 9th HIV Clinicians Conference highlighted Botswana’s significant achievements in the national HIV response and provided an important platform for reflecting on the progress made over the years. The conference was officially opened by the Assistant Minister of Health, Lawrence Ookeditse, with speakers acknowledging the country’s sustained efforts and notable gains in addressing the HIV epidemic.
While these achievements represented an important milestone, the conference also underscored a critical strategic concern regarding the long-term sustainability of Botswana’s HIV response, particularly in the context of declining donor and domestic funding. This raised an important question about how the country could safeguard the progress achieved while ensuring the continuity, quality and accessibility of essential HIV programmes and services.
The discussions reinforced the importance of ensuring that Botswana’s success did not lead to complacency. Sustaining the national HIV response required renewed strategic focus on programme sustainability, innovation, increased domestic investment and stronger, more resilient health systems. These priorities remained essential to protecting the gains already achieved, strengthening national ownership of the HIV response and ensuring the continued delivery of life-saving services to communities across Botswana.

11/08/2026

BONELA is facilitating a Capacity building workshop for service providers to provide comprehensive, youth-friendly care for adolescent girls and young women, male s*xual partners and priority populations in Ghanzi District, Botswana.

06/08/2026

𝐁𝐎𝐍𝐄𝐋𝐀 𝐒𝐔𝐏𝐏𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐏𝐎𝐒𝐄𝐃 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐘 𝐌𝐎𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐎𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐄𝐂𝐑𝐈𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐎𝐅 𝐒𝐄𝐗 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐊

The Botswana Network on Ethics, Law and HIV/AIDS (BONELA) welcomes and supports the proposed parliamentary motion calling upon Government to repeal Sections 155 and 156 of the Penal
Code, which criminalise living on the earnings of prostitution and keeping a brothel. BONELA considers the motion an important step towards protecting human rights, reducing gender-based violence and strengthening Botswana’s public health response.

Although Botswana does not expressly criminalise the consensual sale or purchase of s*xual services between adults, s*x work is effectively criminalised through provisions regulating solicitation,
brothel keeping, living on the earnings of s*x work, public nuisance and related activities. The cumulative effect of these provisions is to expose s*x workers to arrest, harassment, violence, stigma
and exclusion from essential health and justice services.

Botswana’s Legal Environment Assessment concluded that punitive laws criminalising aspects of s*x work create barriers to , , and recommended their review with a view to repeal. The Assessment further found that criminalisation reinforces stigma and discrimination, undermines access to healthcare and weakens the effectiveness of national HIV
interventions.

05/08/2026

𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝟐 | 𝐒𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐇𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐑𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬-𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐮𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐯𝐨𝐫-𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫-𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐕𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 (𝐆𝐁𝐕)

The Botswana Network on Ethics, Law and HIV/AIDS (BONELA), in partnership with BOCONGO supported by the Embassy of Finland in Pretoria continued Day 2 of the training with meaningful discussions and practical learning aimed at strengthening the capacity of paralegals and key stakeholders to respond effectively to Gender-Based Violence through a human rights-based and survivor-centred approach.

Today's sessions focus on enhancing collaboration, strengthening referral pathways, and reinforcing the critical role that every stakeholder plays in ensuring survivors have access to justice, protection, and quality support services.

As we continue to learn from one another, we remain committed to building safer communities where the rights, dignity, and voices of survivors are respected and protected.

Together, we can strengthen our response to GBV and create lasting change.

Botswana Police Service Botswana Network for Mental Health Nkaikela Youth Group Captive Eye Organization Sisonke Botswana Organisation Botswana Society for the Deaf Men & Boys for Gender Equality Botswana Botswana Association of the Deaf Rainbow Identity Association Bw LEGABIBO Ditshwanelo - The Botswana Centre for Human Rights Botswana Gender Based Violence Prevention & Support Centre Trans Initiative

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04/08/2026

𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐎𝐅 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐋𝐄𝐆𝐀𝐋𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐊𝐄𝐇𝐎𝐋𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐒 𝐎𝐍 𝐇𝐔𝐌𝐀𝐍 𝐑𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒 𝐁𝐀𝐒𝐄𝐃 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐒𝐔𝐑𝐕𝐈𝐕𝐎𝐑-𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐃 𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐏𝐎𝐍𝐒𝐄𝐒 𝐓𝐎 𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑 𝐁𝐀𝐒𝐄𝐃 𝐕𝐈𝐎𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 (𝐆𝐁𝐕)

The Botswana Network on Ethics, Law and HIV/AIDS (BONELA), in partnership with Botswana Council of NGOs supported by the Embassy of Finland in Pretoria - Suomen suurlähetystö Pretoriassa, is currently facilitating an ongoing two day paralegal training in Gaborone on Gender Based Violence (GBV), legal frameworks and community-based response.

Today marked the successful start of the Paralegal as the session provided participants with a comprehensive understanding of key issues surrounding Gender-Based Violence (GBV). Discussions explored the fundamental principles of human rights and constitutional protections, reinforcing that every individual has the right to live free from violence, discrimination, and abuse. Participants were also introduced to the core concepts of GBV, including its various forms, causes, and the profound impact it has on individuals, families, and communities.

The training further emphasized the importance of ethical and survivor-centred approaches when responding to GBV, highlighting the need for confidentiality, respect, empathy, and informed consent. In addition, participants examined Botswana’s legal and policy framework on GBV, including relevant legislation and child protection policies that guide prevention, response and access to justice. To provide context on the urgency of collective action, the session also reviewed current national GBV statistics, offering valuable insights into the scale and impact of gender-based violence in Botswana and underscoring the shared

This 2 day training aims to equip paralegals and community stakeholders with the knowledge and skills needed to provide survivor-centred support, strengthen access to justice and promote safer, more informed communities.
Together, we are empowering communities, protecting rights and advancing the fight against gender-based violence—one informed advocate at a time.
Botswana Police Service Botswana Network for Mental Health Nkaikela Youth Group Captive Eye Organization Sisonke Botswana Organisation Botswana Society for the Deaf Men & Boys for Gender Equality Botswana Botswana Association of the Deaf Rainbow Identity Association Bw LEGABIBO Ditshwanelo - The Botswana Centre for Human Rights Botswana Gender Based Violence Prevention & Support Centre Trans Initiative
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