Environmental policy and administrative management

WENA magazine was established in 1998 to report on issues pertaining to the environment and industry. It currently employs 3 reporters and 4 sales representatives. WENA has a circulation of about 8000 and comes out bi-monthly.The magazine is currently restricted in expanding because of 3 major factors; 1.Coverage - limited funds makes reporters unable to cover events in remotel areas of Botswana where NGOs do most of their work. 2. Detail - lack of experienced journalists with environmental background limits covering of environmental issues. 3. Language - WENA has been published in English only until June 2001 when the first Setswana issue was released to improve accessebility to the reading public. In light of the mentioned problems, WENA resolved to request GEF/SGP funds to improve the media coverage of NGO/CBO initatives in addressing global environmental problems in Botswana. This will be done through WENA covering successful GEF/SGP projects, covering topics in a manner that will appeal to both the rural and urban communities, informing reading public about implemntation UN environment conventions in Botswana. Consultants will be engaged to check technical accuracy of articles before printing. WENA will be sent to all parts of Botswana, and 2000 copies will be distributed freely to NGOs, CBOs and Kgotlas. The magazine will have a 30% coverage in Setswana, and 70% coverage in English. The project will benefit both urban and rural dwellers who should know about the status of their environment and what they should do as members of the public to help in protecting the environment and pave way for sustainable developments. The information would be crucial for other stakeholders like government departments dealing with environmental issues, including educational institutions.

Botswana