The Southern African nation of Botswana has the fastest growing economy in the world for more than 30 years. After attaining independence in 1966, the country went from being one of the poorest countries in the world to an upper income country. During the period from 1966 to 1999, the economic growth was about nine percent per year. Through the years, the government of Botswana has good financial policies and incurred low foreign debt. Most of the revenue in Botswana is derived from the diamond mines.

Despite its wealth and abundant natural resources as well as decent healthcare services, Botswana remains one of the African countries hardest hit by the AIDS epidemic. Approximately one fourth of the population is infected with HIV, making it second only to Swaziland. The life expectancy for those in Botswana went from 65 to less than 40 between the years 1995 to 2000. With a population of less than two million people, 270,000 of them are living with HIV.

Botswana is one of the few African nations that has prospered and enjoyed peace since gaining its independence. Other African nations have been plagued by civil wars, famine or natural disasters. Botswana, with its diamond, copper and zinc mines, was a modern success story for the continent of Africa - a peaceful nation that was prospering beyond anyone’s expectations. When the AIDS crisis hit, it devastated Botswana.

The Botswana government was the first African country that implemented a goal to provide drugs used to treat HIV to its citizens. By the end of 2006, all who needed the anti-retroviral drugs used to treat HIV were receiving treatment in Botswana.

Botswana’s first reaction to the AIDS crisis was to screen blood used in blood transfusions for the virus. The government did not adopt an official policy on AIDS until 1993, by which time many in Botswana were already infected with HIV.

Beginning in 1995, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began working with Botswana to combat the epidemic of AIDS in the country. An additional partnership between Internet tycoon Bill Gates, the Merck Company and the Botswana government was founded to give hope to those living with HIV in Botswana. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Merck Company each donated 50 million dollars towards Botswana AIDS relief and the Merck Company has donated two different anti-retroviral drugs used to treat HIV.

The programme to combat AIDS in Botswana now includes public education and awareness, as well as for young people, condom distribution, preventing mother to child infections, targeting mobile populations, and improvement of blood safety features.

In Botswana, there are safe-sex billboards everywhere, but it was difficult to change the behaviour of the nation. One way the Botswana government decided to combat this was to develop a radio drama that is very popular in the nation. This drama discusses AIDS and HIV and promotes safe sex practices. Peer counseling in the workplace has also been implemented by the government to encourage safe sexual practices. The Total Community Mobilization Programme has spread the word of AIDS prevention door to door in Botswana.

YOHO is a youth organization in Botswana that uses art festivals and plays to teach young people about HIV and AIDS. The Botswana Ministry of Education has developed a programme with the United Nations Development Programme to improve the knowledge of teachers in schools so they can inform students about AIDS and HIV. One of the obstacles to preventing HIV in Botswana was certain cultural beliefs about sex and a taboo about condoms. Through education, these cultural beliefs and taboos are being overcome and young people in Botswana are getting accurate information about the virus.

In 2003, the Botswana government distributed millions of free condoms in outlets throughout the country. A national campaign to market condoms has been a primary target of the war on AIDS in Botswana. This effort has met with much success and has broken the taboos about condom use in Botswana.

Migrant workers and other mobile populations that are likely to be exposed to HIV are also part of the war on AIDS in Botswana. The Corridors of Hope project is one that targets migratory workers throughout many Southern African countries affected with HIV and AIDS.

Screening blood donors for HIV reduced the amount of HIV infected blood in half due to better screening methods. The amount of non tainted blood was doubled, making the blood safety programme much more effective.

Women who are pregnant are tested for HIV and, if positive, are given anti-retroviral drugs to prevent the transmission of this disease to their children. Women are also educated about safer feeding practices to reduce instances of mother to child HIV transmission.

Botswana has remained a peaceful country since gaining its independence in 1966. Now, however, Botswana is engaged in a war against a powerful enemy. AIDS has claimed the lives of millions of Botswana citizens and left hundreds of thousands of children orphaned. With the new alliances the government of Botswana has formed throughout the world and a solid education system, the war on AIDS, although unasked for, may be won by the African nation of Botswana.