What contribution can senior citizens make towards the economic and social development of Botswana?

Abstract

Senior citizens (pensioners) have been known by society to be people who have exhausted their worth and wealth of expertise and knowledge and for that matter have no role to play or have no further contribution to make towards the social, political, educational and economic development of Botswana. Some families consider them as a burden. They are associated with community-based home care, demanding attention from care givers, and behave like they have never lived a fulfilling life. This notion is held by majority of Batswana. What seemed forgotten is the fact that majority of senior citizens had themselves been professionals of some sort and had contributed towards the social, political, educational and economic development during their time of service. The authors of this random survey hold a different view about senior citizens in relation to the contributions that they can make towards the development of Botswana. From the literature, education, health, entrepreneurship, community development, adult literacy, counselling services, youth development and practical-manual skills training were identified as areas where senior citizens can be useful to the society. We conclude with some propositions to the Government of Botswana and the NGOs to consider making would-be senior citizens more useful and equipped with skills that can make them make further contribution towards the social, political, educational and economic development of Botswana.