Summit 2018: Ghanzi East District Council Botswana

Ghanzi is a town in the middle of the Kalahari Desert the western part of the Republic of Botswana in southern Africa.  12,167 people living in the town with another 861 nearby. It is the administrative center of Ghanzi District, is known as the “Capital of the Kalahari”. Ghanzi District measures 117,910 square kilometers (29,140,000 acres), and is bordered by Ngami land to the north, Central District to the east, and Kgalagardi and Kweneng Districts to the south. Its western border is shared with Namibia to 203km.

The Ghanzi District Council is guided by the action plan and has been adopted by management awaiting adoption by the full council. The council has formed the gender committee with members. There are 14 male councillors and 5 women councilors in the district. The Gender champion is Hon S M Modisane. The committee consists of 4 councils and it is chaired by 1 women in the District.

Women, people with Disability actively partake in the council’s work. There is equal participation of women, PWD, men and youth in public meetings and events. The Total workforce of the council is 102, with a number of 102 men and women in the set. This involves a whole lot of packages. There are 26 men and 12 women in the management recruited by the council. There is provision of maternity leave but none for paternity leave. The maternity leave entails of 3 months and there is provision of payment.

Under Local Economic Development, the council constructed, completed and handed over to poverty eradication projects at Kuke Village in Ghanzi East Sub District. In addition, training workshops were held to equip the people with skills. Additionally, Women are involved in assorted projects in which they practice sewing, pottery, tuck shops, saloon and upholstery. The council also has a waiver for local income generating projects. Women are supported with uniform tenders, whereby they sew and supply uniforms to schools around and Bakeries in which women were paid to supply bread in local schools.

Gantsi District Council gender budget for the 2017 to 2018.

Disaster committee in place and address issues of climate change e.g fire disaster, floods and drought. Refuse collection is done in every village using donkey carts by both male and females. Companies donated trees and planted them in the Gantsi district.

The council has established gender dimensions on HIV/AIDS to raise awareness in the council eg employees are being educated on HIV AIDS issues through Wellness Days and weekly meetings. Female and male condoms are free at clinics and promotions of female condom use. Those living with HIV/AIDS are supported with food baskets under the community home based care programme to provide the necessary nutrients. There are homme based caregivers and volunteers who takes care of affected patients

Effort is made to make sporting facilities more accessible to women and en ensuring that they benefit equally from such facilities. Events that celebrates women achievements and challenge stereotypes are organized and celebrated eg 16 days. On issues of Gender based Violence issues of of safey within communities that affect women and men disproportionately specially in the informal settlements. All internal streets are named and installed.

Women, men, PWD, and youth are involved in the planning management. The council employed 40 men and 2 women and 5 youths in climate change projects. There are water and sanitation committees which includes men and women in the projects. Water sanitation is done to ensure cleanliness of the water.

Click here to read more about the Ghanzi East district council