Formation of ward gender committees and community mobilisers.

Kagisano Society Women’s Shelter (KSWS) implements a strategy called Cultural Dialogue which brings together cultural leaders through focus group discussions to look into how aspects of culture perpetuate GBV in Botswana.

Recognizing that this evidence based activity did not address strategies; KSWS came up with the idea of forming self-selecting Ward Gender Committees from the participants of the cultural dialogues. The committees are trained in gender based violence concepts and gender sensitive legal instruments. The committee works closely with the district gender committee to help educate other community members as well as refer survivors of GBV to police, hospitals and shelters.

At present two committees have been established in the Lekgwapeng and Borakalalo wards in Molepolole. This is an initiative that KSWS wishes to roll out to other new areas as a means of bringing about community involvement in the project. Cultural dialogues have forged a way forward for community interventions.