Abstract
Children's needs in Botswana received considerable attention in the past three decades owing to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the country. These decades of legal and policy practice processes focused on orphan and vulnerable children (OVC), ensured that the needs of the general population of Botswana children are grossly understudied, underestimated, and therefore, remain unaddressed. This study sought to determine the needs of the general population of children. Fifty-two visual arts, six semi-structured interviews, twenty-six in-depth interviews and two focus group discussions were conducted in two purposively selected sites with children, policy-makers, practitioners, community leaders and caregivers. The data were analyzed using deductive content analysis approach. Children expressed the need for basic, safety, love and belonging needs. Given some pockets of poverty that exists in Botswana, it is likely that children in the general population have needs similar to those of OVC. Therefore, child welfare program should also target children who are not considered OVC.
Highlights
Child welfare systems emerged with the intention of taking care of children's psychosocial needs
Botswana Child Welfare System was expounded with the escalating HIV/AIDS orphan and vulnerable children (OVC) (Botswana National Plan of Action for OVC, 2010–2016)
The village children showing a need for basic needs compared to city children resonates with empirical data (World Bank, 2013), which posits poverty to be higher in rural areas in families raising children
Summary
Child welfare systems emerged with the intention of taking care of children's psychosocial needs. The welfare systems evolved over a long period of time (Schewchuk, 2014). These systems are guided by international instruments especially the United Nations Convention on the rights of a child (UNCRC). Botswana formal child welfare system has been documented from the late 1970s Whereas the country defines a vulnerable child as “a child below age of 18 years who; lives in an abusive environment; lives in a poverty-stricken family and cannot access basic services; heads a household; lives with a sick parent(s)/guardian; is infected with HIV and lives outside family care" (Botswana, 2008)
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