We first came to Botswana in response to the HIV/AIDS crisis in Southern Africa. According to the CIA World Fact Book, currently 23.9% of Botswana's population are affected by HIV/AIDS. That statistic is down from the 2007 census. However, the numbers are still staggering at one-quarter of the population dying of AIDS. Also, Botswana still has the second highest AIDS prevalence rate in the world just behind Swaziland. When faced with the enormity of the problem, we thought, “What difference can we make?”

 
“WHAT CAN WE DO?” That's the question we asked ourselves. When we arrived in March 2008, we had a heart to begin orphan care homes in hopes of helping fight this pandemic. However, we soon realized two things:

1. The Botswana Government does not look favorably on the concept of orphanages. The reason for that stems from their strong conviction and emphasis on reuniting families and to place any orphaned or abused child with other family relations, no matter how distant. As a result, despite the great number of orphans and the need for good care, there are many hindrances as well.
2. An orphanage in Botswana would only be a "band-aid" solution. Orphanages or orphan homes are very important and necessary, but so much of the focus from the western world has been on orphan care homes, at the expense of not addressing the root problem that is driving HIV/AIDS: sexual immorality.

 
THE PROBLEM
Sexual immorality is what is driving HIV / AIDS. People will try and mask it with any other excuse but the root of the problem is sexual immorality. Here is a snapshot of the statistics of sexual immorality. Go to our statistics page to see more.

-    15.3% of students Grades 1-7 are sexually active.
-    34.2% of students Grades 8-10 are sexually active.
-    55% of the students in Grades 11 and 12 are sexually active.
-    92.5% of students in tertiary institutions are sexually active.
-    Sexual activity by the age of 19:
     o   80% females
     o   67% males

Those numbers are what feed the HIV/AIDS rate. If all we do is start orphan homes and not address the issue of sexual immorality, then we will be perpetually in need to start new orphan homes. However, if we can attack sexual immorality and cause young people to see the value of abstinence, we will save this generation and the future generations of Africa.

THE ANSWER
Over the past year of investigation, prayer and searching God’s Word, we realize that the reason that God has called us to Botswana is to help people to walk in purity. We do this in three ways: 1) Teaching on purity and behavioral change in the schools using the No Apologies program from Focus on the Family. 2) Through our churches, teaching adults sexual purity and forming support groups for adults struggling with sexual addiction. We use the Pure Desire curriculum for that ministry. 3) The launching of Child Refuge International, a refuge and rehabilitation centre for sexually abused children.

Click on the links below to learn more about these ministries.