Family Planning

What is it?

Family planning allows individuals and couples to anticipate and attain their desired number of children and the spacing and timing of their births. It is achieved through use of contraceptive methods and the treatment of involuntary infertility. A woman’s ability to space and limit her pregnancies has a direct impact on her health and well-being as well as on the outcome of each pregnancy.

(World Health Organization)

International Affairs and Treaties

International family planning and reproductive health and programs funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) population program and UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund) provide health care choices that assist women in realizing their universal human rights.

U.S. support for desperately-needed programs in low and middle income countries, but since 1995, Congress has significantly reduced funds for international family planning, and increased restrictions on these crucial reproductive health programs. (Center for Reproductive Rights)

Botswana´s Position

Botswana by 2010 a total of 25 million people will be living with HIV/AIDS under a worst-case scenario but no major growth of the epidemic is anticipated.

Model parameters and initial values were set to reflect an equilibrium HIV/AIDS prevalence of about 30% of the sexually active adult population. (Bolletin of the WHO)

Proposal

Duvalls Model (1957) is the most popular and widely used method to prevent family planning disorders. The model consists of a family lifecycle defined in terms of eight developmental stages:

a)Married couple (without children), b) Childbearing families (oldest from birth to 30 months), c) Families with preschool children (oldest fromo 2.5 years to 6), d) Families with teenagers, e) Families that are launching, f) Middle year families, and g) Aging families

(The Science of Improving Lives)

Another valuable option is to re-enforce the Bomme Isago Association (BIA) which is a part of the International Women Health´s Coalition, and exists to improve the well-being of women and children living with HIV and AIDS. The BIA also aims at empowering women with knowledge that will enrich their lives and enable them to make informed decisions.

Some of the BIA´s Projects:

· Advocacy capacity trainings in order to foster WLWHA (Women Living with HIV/AIDS) leadership at the local and national level.

• Collaboration with the Botswana Network on Ethics, Law and HIV/AIDS (BONELA) to hold Reproductive Health and Rights workshops for positive mothers and women .


• Facilitation and convening meetings between BIA’s network and members of parliament (MPs) in Botswana

(International Women´s Health Coalition)

Genetically Modified Food

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) can be defined as organisms in which the genetic material (DNA) has been altered in a way that does not occur naturally. The technology is often called “modern biotechnology” or “gene technology”, sometimes also “recombinant DNA technology” or “genetic engineering”. It allows selected individual genes to be transferred from one organism into another, also between non-related species.

Such methods are used to create GM plants – which are then used to grow GM food crops. (WHO.inf)

Current situation

a) The National Research Council has reported that Scientists at nonprofit institutions have been working for more than two decades to engineer sorghum crops that are resistant to both drought and an aggressively parasitic African weed, Striga. In a 1994 pilot project by the United States Agency for International Development, an experimental variety of engineered sorghum had a yield four times that of local varieties under adverse conditions. Sorghum, a native of the continent, is a staple throughout Africa, and improved sorghum seeds would be widely beneficial. (New York Times)

Botswana is a strong generator of Striga and, Paradoxically, one of the best known genes for resistance turned up in an unimproved variety from Botswana, (New Agriculturist)

What are Botswana reactions?

Scientists in Botswana have developed a way to erradicate Striga for their harvests, but the necessary technology to obtain the gene is abscence.

Legal framework

In 1994 a pilot project was created by the United States Agency for International Development, an experimental variety of engineered sorghum had a yield four times that of local varieties under adverse conditions. Sorghum, a native of the continent, is a staple throughout Africa, and improved sorghum seeds would be widely beneficial. (New York Times)

Botswanas position

Sorghum is the main crop grown in Botswana, but despite this, its consumption seems to be declining. In order to identify constraints and opportunities for enhancing utilization of the crop, socio-economic and market surveys were carried in selected urban and peri-urban areas. These studies showed that sorghum still remains the most consumed cereal in peri-urban areas, accounting for 74% of total cereal consumption in these areas, but only 47% in urban areas.

The findings suggest that sorghum formulated products would be acceptable if they are nutritious, healthy, affordable, and could maintain traditional flavors. (Consumer Attitudes to Sorghum Foods in Botswana)

Proposal

What is proposed is to develop, establish and maintain the necessary human and physical infrastructure needed to run a MAS laboratory. With this marker-assisted selection (MAS) technology, the already developed resistance gene could be tracked and furthermore, improve the qualities of the production of Sorghum in Botswana. Having the result, it can be shared to the rest of developing African countries that need improvement in their harvests and that the production of Sorghum is the main basis of alimentation in the population. (New Agriculturist)

Works Cited

· Achieving the Millenium Development Goals in Africa, The MDG Africa Steering Group, http://www.mdgafrica.org/, October 4^th 2010.

· Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook, Africa, Botswana, https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/bc.html, October 4^th 2010.

· Consumer Attitudes to Sorghum Foods In Botswana,

· New Agriculturist, http://www.new-ag.info/developments/devItem.php?a=1732, October 4th 2010.

· PAMELA C. RONALD and JAMES E. McWILLIAMS, Genetically Engineered Distortions, The New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/15/opinion/15ronald.html?ref=genetically_modified_food, , October 4th 2010.

· World Health Organization, http://www.who.int/foodsafety/publications/biotech/20questions/en/, October 4^th 2010.

Official name: Republic of Botswana

Regular name: Botswana

The Republic of Botswana is located on the north side of South Africa.

Economic

• GDP: $11.63 billion (2009 est.)

• GDP per capita: $12,800 (2009 est.) *data are in US dollars.

country comparison to the world: 86

• GINI Index-Distribution of family income: 63 (1993)

country comparison to the world: 4

• Exports: $3.382 billion (2009 est.)

country comparison to the world: 120

• Inports: $4.24 billion (2009 est.)

country comparison to the world: 119

Government

Botswana governs under a Parliamentary Republic, having Ejecutive, Legislative and Juridicial branches .The President (who is the chief of state and head of government) is indirectly elected for a five-year term (eligible for a second term).

The Legislative branch consists of the House of Chiefs (a largely advisory 15-member body with 8 ex-officio members consisting of the chiefs of the principal tribes, and 7 non-permanent members serving 5-year terms, consisting of 4 elected subchiefs and 3 members selected by the other 12 members) and the National Assembly (63 seats; 57 members directly elected by popular vote.

The current President is Seretse Khama Ian KHAMA (since 1 April 2008), the actual Vice President is Mompati MERAFHE (since 1 April 2008),and the actual cabinet (which is appointed by the President).

Culture

• Population: 1,990,876

country comparison to the world: 146 (July 2010 est.)

• Ethnicities: Tswana (or Setswana) 79%, Kalanga 11%, Basarwa 3%, other, including Kgalagadi and white 7%

• Literacy rate:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write.

total population: 81.2%

male: 80.4%

female: 81.8% (2003 est.)

• Religion: Christian 71.6%, Badimo 6%, other 1.4%, unspecified 0.4%, none 20.6% (2001 census)

International Relations

Botswana was a non-permanent member of the Security Council during the years 1995-1996.

It is under the European-Union Law.

These are the international organizations in which the subject country is a member or participates in some other way:

The Institute of Certified Records Managers-ICRM , International Monetary Fund- IMF, Interpol, United Nations-UN, The United Nations Educational , Scientific and Cultural Organization-UNESCO, United Nations Industrial Development Organization-UNIDO, The Wolrd Tourism Organization- UNWTO, World Health Organization-WHO.

History

Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name upon independence in 1966. Its Constitution was created in March 1965; and was effective until September 1966.

Four decades of uninterrupted civilian leadership, progressive social policies, and significant capital investment have created one of the most dynamic economies in Africa.

*Source:

The World Factbook, Central Intelligence Agency, Africa, Botswana.