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SOWA TOWN
COUNCIL
All correspondences should be addressed to:
TOWN CLERK
Private Bag SOW 1
Sowa
BOTSWANA
Tel: (267) 6213440
Fax: (267) 6213425 or 6213486

Sowa Town Council

 Introduction
 Sowa Town is a small
Town in Botswana with a
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population of about 3000,

a mining town mainly
comprised of 70% of its
population being men.
 Cohabitation and
squatting encourages
gender violence.
 Sowa Town Council is an
institution providing
physical and social
services within the
township.

Sowa Town Council

 DOES THE INSTITUTION HAVE A GENDER AND
GBV ACTION PLAN (PROVIDE EVIDENCE)

An action plan exists and some of its activities are:

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 Establish the multi-party women caucus

 Identify potential women leadership through parties
 Network with regional – international women caucus
 Conduct induction programmes or new councilors
and managers
 Gender dialogues with community leadership e.g.
Chiefs
 Conduct workshops with men’s groups, and audit the
impact of the training

Sowa Town Council

 WHAT IS THE LEVEL OF BUY IN AND
INVOLVEMENT OF MANAGEMENT AND
POLITICIANS

The buy in and involvement of management

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and politicians is good. The Town clerk and

councilors are much supportive and
involved in gender and gender-based
initiatives and activities.

There is a Gender based committee

spearheading the activities. Even the
community participate and is supportive in
such activities.

Sowa Town Council

 IS THERE A HIGH LEVEL GENDER CHAMPION?

Yes, the head of the institution (and

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the Town Clerk) Rachel Buhle

Jeremia.

Sowa Town Council

 HOW DOES THE INSTITUTION ENSURE THAT
PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT ANY GENDER AND GBV
INITIATIVES AND ACTIVITIES?

 Through public lectures and

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presentations during health wellness

activities and Kgotla meetings (public
gathering places)
 Also liaise with other stakeholders such
as Botswana Police to address institution
employees to share ideas on gender
based issues.

Sowa Town Council

 ARE GENDER AND GBV CONCERNS AND
RESPONSIBILITIES FOR BOTH WOMEN AND MEN?
HOW ARE THEY INVOLVED?

Yes. The committee

spearheading gender
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based activities include

both men and women.
Also presentation and
Kgotla meetings are
addressed to both men
and women. Even at
schools information is
disseminated to both
girls and boys.

Sowa Town Council

 ARE THERE DEDICATED RESOURCES, INCLUDING
HUMAN AND FINANCIAL RESOURCES FOR
GENDER MAINSTREAMING?
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There is a specified budget for addressing Gender

based issues. Issues of gender and gender
based violence are attended to by using council
resources such as transport and psychosocial
support.

Budget available is in terms of salaries to social

workers and for providing life skills in home
economics courses, such as sewing.

Sowa Town Council

 MONITORING AND EVALUATION

So far there is no tool for monitoring

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the progress, but those provided

with support are referred to other
services to enhance their living
standards, eg training institutions
and counselling

Sowa Town Council

 WHAT RESULTS HAVE BEEN ACHIEVED?

 An informed community on gender

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issues. Attendance and participation

at Kgotla meetings by the community
at large has improved enabling
dissemination of information being
effective.
 Survivors find it easy to report cases
to social workers.
 Programs for GBV victims known.
Sowa Town Council
 IMPACT (BASED ON THE SADC PROTOCOL
TARGETS)

 Education and training – Through

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addressing Kgotla meetings the

community is given information on
gender issues. Workshops for school-
going children to impart information on
issues of gender and gender based
violence
 Gender-based violence in relation to
HIV/AIDS well linked.

Sowa Town Council

 SUSTAINABILITY AND REPLICATION

Yes, the practice is sustainable as it is

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done through the normal forums

such as Kgotla meetings, workshops
and institutional group meetings.
Periodic meetings conducted and
house to house visits made to
victims and squatters.
Other councils also have GBV
committees e.g Kweneng.
Sowa Town Council
 LESSONS LEARNED

 People do not take gender issues seriously

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 Liaising with stakeholders such as Botswana

Police, District Administration and Tribal
Administration and commemorating events
together give best results. E.g Clean-up
campaign, World AIDS Day and 16 days of
Activism against women and children.

Sowa Town Council

 Contact details
Name: Florah M Moruki
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Country: Sowa, Botswana

Phone: +(267) 6213440/511
Mobile: +(267) 72804470
Email: mmoruki@gov.bw
Postal: Private Bag SOW 1
Sowa, Botswana

Sowa Town Council

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THANK YOU.

ANY QUESTIONS?

Sowa Town Council