BMS Phatsimong Adolescent Centre

The Botswana Baylor Children’s Centre of Excellence (COE) is a public-private partnership between the Government of Botswana and the Baylor International Paediatric AIDS Initiative (BIPAI).  Dedicated in 2003 by the former president of Botswana, H. E. Festus Mogae, the COE provides free of charge, state –of-the-art paediatric HIV care, treatment and support to children and their families throughout Botswana.  The services at the COE are based on a comprehensive approach to ensure that children and their families are cared for in the most appropriate way.  These services include: Screening Clinic, Paediatric Infectious Disease Clinic (PIDC), Family Model Clinic, Adolescent Programme, Outreach and In-reach services, Training, Research and Psychosocial Interventions.  Today, over 4,000 children in Botswana receive care and treatment at the COE in Gaborone or at one of its affiliated outreach sites.

The success of the Botswana Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) programme has resulted in the majority of perinatally HIV-infected children surviving into adolescence.  This trend is evident at the COE where the number of HIV positive adolescents enrolled in care is projected to double by 2015.  Despite this nationwide trend, there is paucity of psychosocial support programmes addressing adolescents’ specific issues.  Adolescents require special programmes with additional clinical and psychosocial support.  The majority of adolescents seen at the COE have lost a parent, aunt, uncle, or teacher to HIV/AIDS.  Not only must these adolescents struggle with the complexities of being HIV positive themselves, but they often also lack a cohesive support network. 

As the number of HIV positive adolescents increase, so does the need for facilities to adequately support the needs of these adolescents.  The Botswana-Baylor COE is one of the few organizations that is dedicated to the psychosocial care and support of HIV-positive adolescents in Botswana.  Currently, the COE resources are insufficient to fully provide the necessary support for this large and rapidly increasing population.   If these support interventions are not put in place throughout the country in the very near future, these adolescents may be condemned to treatment failure, thereby reversing the great strides Botswana has made in combating paediatric HIV.

Based on past experience of spearheading many initiatives intended to fill identified gaps, the COE has completed the construction of an Adolescent Centre. First of its kind in Botswana and the African continent, the BMS PHATSIMONG Adolescent Centre will be a safe and welcoming place where adolescents will receive life skills education and information regarding health issues including HIV prevention, ARV adherence, disclosure as they are encouraged to develop strategies for dealing with adolescent challenges, stigma and discrimination and future outlook leading to improved clinical and mental health outcomes as well as a healthy transition into adulthood.

The centre consists of a main area with offices, counselling rooms, computer laboratory, library, kitchen and an ablution block.  External works include paved car parking, walkways, boundary wall, guardhouse, games court and fountain.