BGBVC stands united in unequivocal support of the Department of Public Prosecutions’ decision to deny bail to the accused prosecutor in the recent gender-based violence case.
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BGBVC ANNUAL REPORT 2024 MINI SUMMARY
We are pleased to announce the release of the BGBVC Annual Report 2024.
Despite various challenges, we were able to continue providing support to GBV survivors throughout the past year, thanks to the generous support of many individuals and partners. With deep gratitude, we kindly ask for your continued support in the year ahead.
Original summary is below!
Empowering GBV Survivors in Ghanzi: Inside the SEE! Project by BGBVC
What Is the SEE! Project?
BGBVC recently convened a stakeholder meeting in Gantsi to introduce the SEE! Project, which aims to address socio-economic disparities in the district, with a particular focus on gender-based violence.
The meeting was attended by key stakeholders, including Kgosi Annah Rankho, BGBVC staff, the Gender Affairs office, District Commissioner’s office, Social Welfare office and other relevant partners.
What Support Do GBV Survivors Receive Under the SEE! Project?
The Survivor Economic Empowerment Project (SEE) is a pilot initiative in Ghanzi that empowers women who are survivors of GBV.
This project provides them with horticultural training and business skills to build a sustainable source of income through vegetable gardening.
Research has shown that economic dependency is a major factor in GBV vulnerability.
This project provides them with horticultural training and business skills to build a sustainable source of income through vegetable gardening.
Research has shown that economic dependency is a major factor in GBV vulnerability.
Building Hope and Self-Reliance in the Ghanzi District
The SEE! project addresses this by equipping survivors with practical skills to gain independence, rebuild confidence, and support their families.
This project is in partnership with BGBVC, Botswana Council of NGOs, Sandfire Motheo Mine, and French Embassy in Botswana.
GBV Survivors Economic Empowerment Project (SEE)
GBV Survivors Economic Empowerment Project (SEE) in Ghanzi
What is BGBVC?
The Botswana Gender Based Violence Prevention and Support Centre (BGBVC) is a non-governmental organization dedicated to supporting individuals affected by gender-based violence (GBV) and HIV. BGBVC offers psychosocial counseling, emergency shelter, legal and clinical care, and raises community awareness to combat harmful norms that perpetuate violence.
What is the SEE! Project?
The Survivor Economic Empowerment Project (SEE) is a pilot initiative in Ghanzi that empowers women who are survivors of GBV. This project provides them with horticultural training and business skills to build a sustainable source of income through vegetable gardening.
Economic dependency is a major factor in GBV vulnerability. The SEE! project addresses this by equipping survivors with practical skills to gain independence, rebuild confidence, and support their families.
Key Objectives of the SEE! Project
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Train women survivors of GBV to manage and sustain a vegetable garden.
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Provide ongoing mentorship to ensure project success.
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Deliver long-term psychosocial support to promote healing and well-being.
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Link beneficiaries with government economic empowerment programs for technical and financial sustainability.
Training and Capacity Building
Participants receive training in:
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Vegetable production and management
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Business planning
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Financial literacy and marketing
Through this, survivors gain confidence and real-world skills to manage and expand their gardening initiatives.
Mentorship and Technical Support
BGBVC ensures project sustainability by:
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Providing mentorship to guide beneficiaries in effective garden management.
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Partnering with existing entrepreneurship programs and government initiatives for technical support and scalability.
Psychosocial and Mental Health Support
Since all beneficiaries are GBV survivors, mental health counseling is a core part of the initiative. BGBVC counselors offer:
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Ongoing trauma-informed support
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Conflict management assistance
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Family-based counseling to build healthier relationships
Partners and Supporters
This project is supported by:
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French Embassy in Botswana – offering funding and coordination
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Sandfire Mining Company – providing land, tools, and gardening supplies
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BOCONGO – delivering technical and administrative support
Why Ghanzi?
Ghanzi has a population of over 19,000, with many residents living in poverty or facing unemployment. Like other districts in Botswana, Ghanzi struggles with high rates of unreported GBV. Economic empowerment is key to breaking this cycle and providing survivors with alternatives to returning to abusive environments.
The SEE! Project is more than a garden—it’s a path to healing, empowerment, and independence for GBV survivors. Through skills training, mental health support, and community partnerships, BGBVC is helping survivors regain control of their lives and futures.
Candlelight vigil in 2024 – 16 Days of Activism Against GBV
The candlelight vigil to show unity against GBV
BGBVC extends its heartfelt appreciation to everyone who took time out of their busy schedules to join us last Friday, December 6, at Park 27 (Tsholofelo Park in Broadhurst) as we honored the lives lost to GBV and showed support for survivors.
The Candlelight Session was a deeply emotional and reflective experience, but most importantly, it fostered unity and commitment to ending GBV. This event formed part of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence.
GBV in Botswana
Here’s a powerful excerpt from BGBVC CEO Lorato Moalusi’s speech during the vigil:
“As you are all aware, Gender Based Violence (GBV) is one of the most prevalent human rights violations in the world. It knows no social, economic or national, must I say, even RELIGIOUS boundaries. Globally, violence against women and girls is an issue of scale.
It is reported that
a) 35% of women worldwide have experienced either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence.
b) 7% of women have been sexually assaulted by someone other than a partner.
c) And, as many as 38% of murders of women are committed by an intimate partner.
Botswana is listed as one of the countries with a high prevalence of GBV cases, affecting both men and women but higher among women and children.
The Botswana National Relationship Study (2018) indicates that thirty – seven percent (37%) of women and twenty – one percent (21%) of men have experienced some form of violence in their lifetime.
The outbreak of the COVID 19 pandemic as we all know, significantly increased/exposed the level of GBV, particularly during the lockdowns.
Learn from the study about GBV
The Study also showed that past experiences of violence play a role in influencing both perpetration and experience of violence in future relationships.
Child abuse emerged as the strongest determinant of Gender Based Violence perpetration.
Of the total women who reported experience of GBV, 92% had experienced some form of abuse in childhood and of those who reported experience of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) 94% were abused in childhood. Amongst men, 97% who reported experiencing IPV and GBV were abused in childhood and 97% who reported perpetrating IPV had also experienced abuse before they reached 18 years of age.
In 2023, Botswana Police Service is said to have recorded over 18 000 cases of various forms of GBV countrywide. The reality is that these numbers speak to cases that have been reported only. The prevalence of GBV reported in the Survey is seven times higher than that reported to the Police. So, how much happens in our communities that goes unreported.
The theme for 2024 16 Days of Activism against Gender Based Violence is #NO EXCUSE: Let us Unite to End Violence Against Women and Children.
It goes without saying that GBV in Botswana has been increasingly reported.
No longer be an excuse!
We have seen over the years that it has become more atrocious!
Women being sexually violated in their workplaces, streets and homes; women being murdered in their homes and even in places of safety; children being victims of murder at the hands of their fathers.
We have indeed reached that place of #NO EXCUSE; there can no longer be an excuse for violating other people’s rights; there can no longer be an excuse for harmful societal beliefs and practices; there can no longer be an excuse for impunity, where perpetrators get away with their actions because of lack of action in the community and lack of reporting; there can no longer be an excuse for not implementing laws that are meant to protect human rights of women, children and men from all walks of life.
Violence affects children’s survival, development and school participation.”
Let us make our community safer, free from GBV
Tomorrow marks the final day of the 16 Days of Activism Against GBV and Human Rights Day.
Let us take this moment to honor survivors and remember those we have lost. Together, we can build a future free from violence.
2023 Annual Report Flyer
We’ve created a simplified version of the 2023 BGBVC Annual Report.
For those interested in learning more about our work, please check out the full Annual Report in the Publications section.
BGBVC is committed to creating an environment that is more accessible for GBV survivors.
