The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and University of Botswana (UB) are scheduled to launch a joint publication, under the title ‘Thari ya Bana-Reflection on Botswana Children 2010”, on Tuesday 30 November 2010, at the UB Centre for Continuing Education (CCE).
It is intended through the publication to highlight the plight children and share ideas as to how best to improve their lives.
Dr. Doreen Mulenga, UNICEF Representative in Botswana said, “The aim of the event and the launch of the publication are to provide a forum for articulating the current status of children that may in some small way influence local debate, policy development, programmes and budgeting.”
To enable the discourse there will be a number presentations made by experts on the issue from the UB and the UNICEF, with a view to determining the parameters and challenges involved in the efforts to improve children’s lives.
Among the expected speakers are, UNICEF’s Mulenga, UB Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Professor Frank Youngman and UB’s Dr Tapologo Maundeni, who happens to be the editor of the publication due for launch, as well as two other unnamed officials from the UNICEF’s Consultative Forum.
The launch is set exactly ten days past the 21st anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on the rights of the child by the UN General Assembly, and 15 years since Botswana ratified the convention.
Kebitsaone Kelaotswe, Communications Manager at UNICEF, has told the Sunday Standard that, Thari Ya Bana 2010 will be a maiden issue of what is scheduled to be an annual series of joint publications between the UB and UNICEF on issues and situation of children in Botswana.
“The publication is a collection of a range of articles on children’s issues, ranging from child survival and development to child protection and participation as well as writings on children living with HIV and AIDS, and policies focused on children,” posited Kelaotswe.
Moreover, it is also general believed the publication will be resourceful in terms of providing statistics on children in Botswana.
The Deputy Chairperson of the National Children’s Council, Gloria Jacques will formally conduct the actual launch of the publication.
