Children, Adolescents and the HIV and AIDS Pandemic

Changing Inter-Generational Relationships and Intra-Family Communication Patterns in Botswana

Abstract

The HIV and AIDS pandemic has become an omnipresent part of everyday life in Botswana. Children grow up to be teenagers and young adults and have to adapt to the devastating conditions created by the HIV and AIDS crisis. Based on theoretical concepts of risk and vulnerability and on qualitative empirical research, this article inquires into the relations between children and their guardians in Botswana. The research shows that families in Botswana have insufficient strategies to educate children about important issues concerning adolescence and HIV and AIDS. The results also indicate that children experience inter-generational conflicts, insecure livelihoods, and are torn between different explanations of HIV and AIDS. However, children are not simply victims; they are also able to cope actively.