Botswana Baylor Adolescent Program

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When life gives you lemons…

When life gives you lemons – make lemonade!

Teens making lemonde with an adult volunteer!

The August Teen Club opened with a celebratory circle as the teens sang and participated in interactive games. The teens were quick to show solidarity as each newly-arriving teen club member joined the enlarging ring. Seeing the youth gather in a circle showed the strength of a unified teen force!

The August Teen Club exposed some of the “lemons” tempting and trapping youth of the day. Specifically, the teens discussed the risks and realities of multiple concurrent partnerships, transactional sex and intergenerational relationships.

The younger teens engaged in a dynamic discussion to define multiple concurrent partnerships (MCP). The youth decided to simplify each word in the MCP phrase with their own definition to really slice n’ dice the lemon into understandable terms: “multiple equals many, concurrent means same time, and partnerships means physical union”. The youth then drew graphs to represent serial monogamy versus multiple concurrent partnerships. Some of the youth mentioned that MCP may be an accepted norm in certain cultural contexts, so they were eager to discuss the emotional, physical, and health challenges/risks that may motivate them to avoid MCP in their own lives and that may help them protect their peers from MCP. The teens then decided to compare “transactional sex” to a Barclays bank ATM transaction (receiving funds or material gain) to help them understand the concept of selling/renting one’s body or heart or emotions in exchange for material return. Rather than judge those engaged in transactional sex, the youth expressed sensitive concern for those who may be financially or socially vulnerable enough to participate in transactional sex. The youth also discussed the dangers of intergenerational sexual relationships, specifically expressing concern for the potential power differentials and gender struggles involved in those sexually active between a wide age gap. An MCP Project Officer from the Botswana-Baylor COE initiated a slide presentation for the youth to help orient them to the topics. The dynamic and energetic Teen Club Leaders were awesome about keeping the conversation interactive and keeping the teens engaged!

The younger teens learned about multiple concurrent partnerships, transactional sex, and intergenerational sex by viewing a 77-minute video which depicted the social scenarios of each context. They then described the temptations, challenges, and consequences faced by each character portrayed in the films. The teens were reminded about the Baylor Clinic being a safe space for them to discuss any social concerns in their own lives during clinic appointments or with scheduled visits with the Baylor social workers and Baylor psychologists.

The older teens were eager to learn about entrepreneur alternatives that could protect against fiduciary dependence (the teens recognized that MCP, transactional, and intergenerational sex is sometimes motivated by vulnerable people facing economic hardship enough to fall into risky lifestyles). A guest speaker from Stepping Stones International (an innovative after-school and community outreach program serving orphaned and vulnerable adolescents in Gaborone) lead the teens in a discussion to brainstorm small business ideas, to learn about the resources available to turn an idea into a project, and to explore the personal attributes required for entrepreneurship.

The teens then divided into small groups to turn boiling water, sugar, and fresh lemons into delicious of fresh lemonade. Through an interactive project, they brainstormed marketing strategies for advertising and selling their lemonade. The teens gulped down their successful drink recipes with their afternoon lunches.

Teens enjoying their lemonade at the end of the day!

Life has a way of handing out lemons. For example, many of the usual teen club youth were unable to attend teen club this Saturday due to their having to attend weekend school to make up for missed classroom days during the extended teacher strike. In a context of a “one-in-four” HIV population rate, a loss of guardians, academic challenges, social stigma, and financial barriers facing many of the youth – sometimes it feels like tart challenges and sour trials abound. But, the teen club youth show an incredible perseverance, a remarkable resiliency to chase joy, and a committed to ensuring a better future for themselves and for their peers. As the teen club youth helped each other cut up lemons, add sugar to one another’s recipes, and stir in solidarity… we were reminded of the refreshment of teamwork and life skills.

Meaghann Weaver, MD

Botswana Teen Club Launches Groundbreaking Publication!

*For more information about our 2010 Fundraising Drive, please visit our Donations page.*

The following post is courtesy of Edward Pettitt, Fundraising and Development Coordinator for the Botswana-Baylor Children’s Clinical Centre of Excellence:

Teen Talk is a question-and-answer guide about positive living for HIV-positive teenagers.

Gaborone, Botswana – 18th June 2010 –

On Wednesday, 16th June, the Botswana-Baylor Children’s Clinical Centre of Excellence (COE), a paediatric HIV clinic, commemorated Day of the African Child by launching a new publication for HIV-positive youth called “Teen Talk”, the printing of which was sponsored by a generous donation from staff of Barclays Bank Botswana. According to Edward Pettitt, Teen Club Coordinator at the Botswana-Baylor COE, more than 3,000 Batswana adolescents will need antiretroviral (ARV) medications by 2011 and more efforts need to be mobilized to address the unique needs of this age group.

Stated Pettitt, “Adolescence is associated with emotional turbulence, irresponsibility for personal well-being, and difficulty internalizing abstract concepts. Furthermore, there is a lack of accurate, holistic and youth-friendly informational materials available to HIV-positive adolescents on how to live a healthy life.”

To address these challenges, the Botswana-Baylor COE has produced Teen Talk, a groundbreaking question-and-answer guide for HIV-positive youth that covers a variety of topics including ARVs, adherence, friendship, nutrition, exercise, reproductive health, positive prevention, multiple concurrent partnerships, safe male circumcision, prevention of mother to child transmission, emotions and healthy disclosure.

Speaking at the event, Prof. Gabriel Anabwani, Executive Director of the Botswana-Baylor COE, said, “The launching of Teen Talk is certainly a milestone for improving service provision for adolescents living with HIV, not just for Botswana, but for the entire region as well.”

Dr. Haruna Jibril, Paediatric Clinical Advisor for the Masa ARV programme at Ministry of Health affirmed this sentiment stating, “I have visited many programmes throughout southern Africa and no one has been more proactive in addressing the needs of HIV-positive youth than the Botswana-Baylor COE.”

The Botswana-Baylor COE also announced that it is expanding its Teen Club peer support group programme by developing an Adolescent Centre to support a growing number of HIV positive teenagers in Botswana. The proposed Adolescent Centre, located near the current COE in Gaborone, will provide specialized care and support to help the growing population of HIV-positive teenagers overcome the challenges of puberty and adolescence.

Although prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) programmes have been effective in drastically reducing the rate of mother-to-child transmission in Botswana, many children born before these services were made available are currently entering their teenage years, thanks to ARVs. However, this medical care must be accompanied by psychosocial support to promote adherence and healthy disclosure; otherwise, the strides that Botswana has made in combating child mortality related to HIV infection may be reversed.

In recognition that teenagers need to be equipped with appropriate knowledge and skills for their transition into adulthood, particularly with regards to living positively with HIV, the Botswana-Baylor COE has been proactive in developing programmes to address their needs.

Funds will be raised to support the Adolescent Centre through the Botswana-Baylor Football Extravaganza, which will take place on 3rd July 2010 from 1400hrs to 2300hrs at the Phakalane Golf Estate Conference Centre. The fundraising dinner will include televised football matches and entertainment with local celebrities, including the 2010 Miss Botswana and players from the national Zebras football team.

Tickets to the event are P300 per person or P2,800 for a table of 10. Tickets can be purchased by phone (319-0083), email (botswanateenclub@gmail.com), or at Riverwalk Mall from Monday, 21st June to Saturday 26th June from 0830hrs to 1630hrs.

The Botswana-Baylor Children’s Clinical Centre of Excellence is a collaborative partnership between the Baylor International Pediatric AIDS Initiative (BIPAI) and the Government of Botswana. Since its inception, more than 10,000 children have been tested for HIV, and over 2,000 children have been started on highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART).