Fair Lady Day Care Center - Botswana

During a visit to rural Botswana in 2007, Grants Pass residents Cherryl Walker and Marty Hill were inspired by the work of a local woman to provide care and education for vulnerable young children and AIDS orphans. The Fair Lady Day Care and Preschool for Orphans and Vulnerable Children was established in 2004 as a nonprofit organization to integrate young paying students with students unable to pay due to the impact of HIV/AIDS on their families.

The population of Botswana is just under 2 million people. The median age is only 21 because 36% of those people are 14 years old or younger. A 2003 estimate for adults in Botswana diagnosed with HIV/AIDS is just under 40%, which gives rise to a very high number of "AIDS orphans" - children who have lost their parents to the disease. Many AIDS orphans are healthy and could lead normal lives if only they were supported by loving care, healthy diet, and education.

According to some estimates, more than half of the AIDS orphans in Botswana do not benefit from programs established to help them in spite of the efforts to help them. Many of these children are healthy and free of the AIDS virus, but as orphans they lack education, housing, healthcare and proper nutrition.

In the rural village of Kasane, a local woman named June Mabuta has developed a nonprofit preschool and day care center which integrates orphaned and vulnerable children with other local children, giving them a better chance to develop essential skills and access available assistance. This program will help put them on track to become productive members of society.

The project began in June's backyard. She had been active in helping others with AIDS after she herself was diagnosed with the disease. The preschool now serves 70-80 students, of which approximately 25% are orphans or vulnerable children.

The current school facilities are cramped and inadequate for the number of students in need. Cherryl joined the board of Bright Futures Foundation (BFF) and brought this opportunity to us to become partners in the project. Now BFF is working to help with the construction of a new facility on land that has been provided by the Government of Botswana to the Fair Lady Day Care Center. In this project, Bright Futures Foundation will assist with the development of improved infrastructure and the construction of buildings for the new school.

Fair Lady Day Care Center Fact Sheet

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