When people hear the words “child poverty in Botswana,” they may imagine only a household living below a monetary poverty line. Income matters deeply, but it does not show every barrier affecting a child. A child may live in a household that is not classified as poor by income and still face inadequate sanitation, overcrowded housing, limited access to a quality health facility, poor nutrition, or interrupted education.
This is why the 2021 national child-poverty report by Statistics Botswana and UNICEF used a multidimensional approach. It examined children’s lived conditions across nutrition, health, housing, water, education and sanitation, with the applicable dimensions adjusted for different stages of childhood.
Data note: The statistics in this article come from a report published in 2021 using 2015/16 household survey data. They should be presented as an important evidence baseline, not as Botswana’s current 2026 child-poverty rate.
Using 2015/16 survey data, the report found that approximately 49% of children under 18 experienced deprivation in at least two dimensions at the same time. That was an improvement from 63% in 2009/10, but it still meant that nearly one child in every two was experiencing more than one serious disadvantage.
Statistical source: Statistics Botswana and UNICEF, Child Poverty in Botswana (2021), based on the 2015/16 Botswana Multi-Topic Household Survey; Preface and Executive Summary, pp. 5-6.
The finding matters because deprivations reinforce one another. Poor sanitation can increase health risks. Ill health or hunger can make concentration at school more difficult. Inadequate housing can affect sleep, safety and the time a child has for learning. Falling behind in education can later restrict access to employment and financial independence.
A single statistic therefore represents many different childhood experiences. It is not a label placed on a child. It is a warning that several systems around that child may not be providing the support required for healthy development.
The report compared monetary poverty with multidimensional deprivation and found that the two do not completely overlap.
Some children were both income-poor and deprived. Others were deprived even though their households were not categorised as monetarily poor.
This means a response based only on income can overlook children whose needs appear in other forms.
Effective support begins by asking broader questions:
Is the child eating well?
Is there a safe and dignified living environment?
Can the child reach and benefit from education?
Is emotional support available?
Does an adolescent have the practical skills and guidance needed for the transition into adulthood?
This broader understanding is reflected in Lehikeng’s holistic programmes. We combine physical welfare support with support, capacity building, life skills and pathways towards education and work.
The purpose is not to define young people by what they lack. It is to strengthen the resources, confidence and opportunities that allow them to move forward.
This approach recognises that lasting change rarely comes from one intervention. A meal can help a child participate today. Mentorship can restore direction.
Life and employability skills can create future options. Educational and career support can help a young person turn potential into a sustainable livelihood. Read more about how communities can break the cycle of poverty and Lehikeng’s story in Maun.
Our supporters and partners help us respond to the whole person.
Donations, professional partnerships, mentoring and volunteer time can strengthen programmes that address immediate needs while building long-term capability.
This is how compassion becomes empowerment: children and young people receive practical support without losing their dignity, voice or agency.
Child poverty is multidimensional. Our response must be equally thoughtful. Support underserved children and youth through Lehikeng and help create pathways from deprivation to resilience, skills and opportunity.
It means a child experiences deprivation in several areas of life, such as health, housing, education, nutrition, water or sanitation, rather than poverty being measured only through household income.
The 2021 Statistics Botswana and UNICEF report found that about 49% of children experienced at least two deprivations, based on 2015/16 data.
Lehikeng uses a holistic empowerment model that combines essential support, psychosocial care, skills development and pathways towards education, careers and self-sufficiency.