Background
In 2003, when Linda Scott began working for a website that was profiling all the non-profit organisations working in the field of HIV and AIDS in South Africa, she was astounded to learn of woman after woman, often with a minimum of resources, opening their homes and hearts to the orphans and vulnerable children in their communities. Women like Busiswe Khawula, a retired nurse who started a drop-in centre for over 45 orphans and vulnerable children in her impoverished neighbourhood. Explaining her work, Busiswe says “Saving a child every day – that is how I give back to the community.” As if this is the most natural step for anyone who has the means, however meagre, to help a child in need.

Inspired by such extraordinary resourcefulness and compassion, Linda began to consider how to support women in similar situations in Botswana, which has the second highest HIV infection rate in Africa. In a country of fewer than two million people, around 100,000 children are estimated to have lost one or both parents to AIDS. While South Africa has the highest absolute number of AIDS orphans of any sub-Saharan country, Botswana has one of the highest ratios of AIDS orphans: nearly one out of every 18 people in Botswana is an AIDS orphan compared with one out of every 30 people in South Africa. Around 80% of the total number of all types of orphans in Botswana have been orphaned as a result of AIDS, compared with around 50% in South Africa, illustrating the devastation the epidemic is wreaking on families throughout the country.

Linda, who had lived in Botswana for 15 years, assembled a group of dedicated and passionate family and friends, in Botswana and beyond. Together they discussed how the orphans and vulnerable children could best be helped. The overwhelming consensus, backed by a growing body of evidence, was to find ways to support, educate and train their caregivers, particurlarly in income-generating and life skills. Research shows that when mothers or caregivers receive additional income and education the immediate beneficiaries are the children in their care.

Linda's daughter, Robyn, wrote a memoir about the family's life in Botswana, during the rise of the AIDS epidemic. Proceeds from this book, Twenty Chickens for a Saddle, were used to help start Mothers for All.

Growth - 2008 onwards
Starting with a group of five women in Selebi-Phikwe in early 2008, over 90 women throughout Botswana have now received training in making paper bead jewellery and 60 have received further training in making recycled paper. Half of our 'mothers' have also attended workshops in HIV and AIDS management and environmental awareness. This rapid expansion was made possible through a generous grant from Barclays UK. Further workshops in new product development, money management and permaculture food gardens will be rolled out to our mothers during the course of 2010-2011. During 2009 the organisation in Botswana managed to turn over around £25 000 in paper bead products, bringing us that much closer to our ultimate goal of becoming a totally self-sustaining organisation.

The organisation is in the process of becoming registered as a non-profit organisation in South Africa where we have so far trained 30 caregivers, including some maximum security prisoners who wanted to help the orphans in their community.