Lifesaving Services for Botswana's Youth

When the world feels heavy, healing begins in small moments, a brushstroke of colour in art therapy, a shared laugh during group counselling, or a deep breath in a stress-free zone. This year, because of your generosity, hundreds of Botswana’s youth found those moments again through Stepping Stones International’s counselling and group sessions counselling.

Your donations helped us reboot lifesaving mental health servicesfor young people and families who had nowhere else to turn. With your support, the team provided:

432 individual counselling sessions — where children and youth found safe spaces to unpack trauma, grief, and anxiety. Over 70% showed measurable emotional stability and renewed hope.

8 art therapy groups — where creativity became medicine. Youth painted their emotions, rediscovered their self-worth, and walked away with confidence and belonging.

67 trauma-healing EMDR clients — who faced the darkness of violence, loss, and rejection, and emerged lighter, calmer, and stronger. For young people living with HIV, EMDR restored both mental and physical wellbeing.

42 group psychoeducation sessions — where stress management and grief were turned into lessons in resilience, friendship, and peer support.

Family-based and grannies’ sessions — reminding us that healing multiplies when families talk, trust, and grow together.

We held an HIV awareness event that inspired courage, compassion, and unity among youth. Several were referred for HIV testing.

Next goal: To reach 500 more youth with counselling, art therapy, and family sessions because every child deserves to heal, dream, and thrive.