Rethink needed on funding for Botswana NGOs

Though Botswana is classified as middle-income, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in the country still need donor funds in order to execute their mandate, a European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR) sponsored workshop has found this week.

EIDHR is this week hosting a workshop and training for Non-Governmental Organisations, civil society and media on decoding human rights and policy drafting that should translate entirely to the intended humans.

The organisation works together with the European Union with a core mandate to advance NGOs and human rights. The EIDHR representative, Harriet Perdersen said they have funded NGOs such as Stepping Stone International based in Mochudi that deals with advancing children rights and supporting vulnerable and orphaned children and the Kagisano Women’s Shelter that houses women experiencing gender based and domestic violence. NGO’s have often decried a lack of funding and donors since Botswana got categorised as a middle-income state.

“Even though the country is middle income, the reality on the ground is that NGOs still struggle to execute their mandate due to lack of donor funds hence we are putting an effort in such an area,” Perdersen said on an quick interview at the workshop.

Jacqueline Nzoyihera, regional human rights officer at the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights' (UNOHCHR) office in Pretoria is conducting the training workshop. She highlighted that they intend to among other areas impact Knowledge (HRBA) on the contribution of the Human Rights Based approach to national policy and programme making. “HRBA should be a full contextual framework that is people centered and not a political conditioning such as threats for sanctions when human rights are violated. It should be a tangible framework that shows the kind of change needed and how it can be measured,” she said.

Keikantse Phele, the Legal Advisor of Botswana Network of Ethics and Law on Aids (BONELA) noted that they realize there is need to explore how human rights based approach could be incorporated into service provision such as in pro bono work. The workshop gathered NGOs including, BONELA, Letloa-Kuru truts and Ditshwanelo.