Botswana is a nation of 1.7 million people in southern Africa, and is about the size of Texas. African Leadership has been training pastors and church leaders there since 2004. As of March 2008, we have 35 students attending 3 classes with over 65 graduates who are active in church ministry.

Our National Director for Botswana is Rev. Bakae Makgana. Rev. Makgana organizes and administrates the AL learning centers in Botswana, where 70% of the population are Christian and the remaining 30% follow traditional religious practices. Pastor training is essential for the health and growth of the church in Botswana, to have mature leadership and build church unity.

In bringing the Gospel to Botswana, the practice of ancestral worship and other traditional practices create cross-cultural challenges. Some 30% of the people in Botswana, including some members of churches, are involved in these traditional practices, which seem to be some of the root cause of the HIV/AIDS crisis. Botswana, like many nations in southern Africa, suffers from a high AIDS infection rate of 37% for adults, and 33,000 people die of AIDS each year. This HIV/AIDS epidemic in Botswana has, among its countless effects, left an estimated one-third of all Malawian children orphaned and vulnerable to exploitation.

African Leadership is thankful to have a presence in Botswana. As African Leadership equips National Directors like Rev. Makgana and his colleagues to spread the Gospel in churches and communities throughout Zambia, we are grateful for the support of our donors who make this national transformation possible. As we visit with our African Directors and attend graduation ceremonies, we are amazed at the dedication of these pastors. They usually work full time jobs in addition to their pastoral workload, while attending classes 2-4 days a week. Their desire to be better teachers and preachers is reflected in their joyful completion of the 2-year program, which provides comprehensive training in all phases of church leadership, equivalent to a foundational-level seminary or Bible College degree, utilizing a 10-course, 2,500-page Bible centered curriculum, developed and translated by African Leadership.

Please pray for Rev. Makgana and his family and staff, as they labor to bring hope to the communities of Botswana, by increasing the impact of the Gospel through training of pastors and church leaders. African Leadership-Botswana hopes to graduate some 20 students each year, who, when their training is finished, will periodically attend alumni training for HIV/AIDS issues and treatment, Islam apologetics, and financial management. Hopefully, from the networking of these alumni and teachers, new training centers may be established, spreading the word about our Training Program, resulting in more pastor registrations, and expanded educational opportunities for the maturity of the Church.