UNFPA Botswana

We are committed to building a strong data ecosystem.Everything should be supported by data so that we can effectively inform policy,decision making and activities that will make the monitoring of the #SDGs a success in Botswana. ~Dr. Mguni [SDGs indicators Baseline Workshop]

New University of Botswana Chancellor!

MS LINAH KELEBOGILE MOHOHLO APPOINTED THE CHANCELLOR OF THE UNIVERSITY OF BOTSWANA
The nation is informed that his Excellency the President Mokgweetsi Eric Keabetswe Masisi, acting in accordance with Section 7 of the University of Botswana Act of 2008, has appointed Ms Linah Kelebogile Mohohlo as the Chancellor of the University of Botswana for a period of (5) years effective the 19th of July 2018 to 18 June 2023.
https://twitter.com/BWGovernment/status/1022413663368605696

Bullying, Cyberbullying, and Suicide

Abstract

Empirical studies and some high-profile anecdotal cases have demonstrated a link between suicidal ideation and experiences with bullying victimization or offending. The current study examines the extent to which a nontraditional form of peer aggression—cyberbullying—is also related to suicidal ideation among adolescents. In 2007, a random sample of 1,963 middle-schoolers from one of the largest school districts in the United States completed a survey of Internet use and experiences. Youth who experienced traditional bullying or cyberbullying, as either an offender or a victim, had more suicidal thoughts and were more likely to attempt suicide than those who had not experienced such forms of peer aggression. Also, victimization was more strongly related to suicidal thoughts and behaviors than offending. The findings provide further evidence that adolescent peer aggression must be taken seriously both at school and at home, and suggest that a suicide prevention and intervention component is essential within comprehensive bullying response programs implemented in schools.

Read more here https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13811118.2010.494133?src=recsys

Consumer Health Information Literacy Promotion Program in Public and Community Libraries in Africa

The aim of this project was to enhance the capacity of public and community librarians in four Africancountries (Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, and Zimbabwe) in meeting the consumer health information (CHI) needs of their patrons. A total of 65 librarians from 34 public and community libraries were trained on how to access and use consumer health information resources by health sciences librarians in the selected countries. A needs assessment preceded the training that focused on health literacy, healthinformation literacy, sources of health information, online information searching tools and search techniques, and how to search CHI resources, including Kidshealth.org, Womenshealth.gov, MedlinePlus, and CancerNet, among others. Each team of participating libraries received a seed grant to design and implement a consumer health activity. The trained public and community librarians in both Nigeria and Uganda conducted training on use of CHI resources to different categories of patrons. In Nigeria, high school students were trained on how to use their mobile phone to access CHI resources. Adolescents and other categories of library patrons were trained on information and communication technology (ICT) skills and accessing CHI resources in Uganda. In Kenya, the public librarian created a Consumer HealthInformation Corner and purchased CHI books for patrons to consult, while in Zimbabwe, the publiclibrary partnered with other non-governmental organizations to provide consumer health informationmaterials to the library for patron use. It is possible for academic health sciences librarians to partner with public and community librarians in Africa to carry out a successful CHI project

Read more https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15398285.2017.1376180

Joseph Matshelo: The walking library: Makgadikgadi Salt Pans

Joseph Matshelo: The walking library: Makgadikgadi Salt Pans: Northeast of Africa’s  Kalahari Desert  and southeast of the  Okavango Delta  lies one of the largest salt pans in the world. It was once t...

Makgadikgadi Salt Pans

Northeast of Africa’s Kalahari Desert and southeast of the Okavango Delta lies one of the largest salt pans in the world. It was once the site of one of the largest inland seas on Earth.

On June 10, 2018, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this natural-color image of the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans. The collection of salt flats covers roughly 30,000 square kilometers (10,000 square miles) amidst desert and dry savanna in Botswana. Located in Makgadikgadi National Park and Nxai Pan National Park, the salt pans are rivaled in extent only by the Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia.

For much of the year, the salt pans glimmer in white, parched by the sun and the salt and allowing little more than algae to grow. But during the rainy season (roughly November to March), the area can be transformed into a crucial wetland.

Read more https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/92394/makgadikgadi-salt-pans