Botswana

The stigma of being labeled poor is inhibiting foster families in Botswana looking after orphans accessing welfare, a new study by the children-oriented NGO Masiela Trust Fund has found. The study which focused on the plight of orphans and vulnerable children in Palapye, one of the largest villages in Botswana, found the government sponsored care was “crippled” by reluctance of families to register the orphans for support. Registering the children would mean the caregivers were exposing their financial inability to take care of them, according to the participants interviewed by the study. (IRIN)