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This article presents the lived experiences of unemployed graduate youth in Botswana, and it is part of a doctoral thesis titled, “Enhancing Active Labour Market Programmes for Improved Youth Livelihoods: A Study of Unemployed Graduate Youth in Botswana.” The qualitative study drew data from focus group discussions with unemployed graduate youth for this article and adopted the sustainable livelihoods framework. The data used were derived from the narrations as stated by unemployed graduate young people in three localities of Gaborone (urban), Kanye (urban villages), and Oodi/Modipane (rural areas) who partook in the study and are, therefore, not representative of the entire population of those unemployed in Botswana. Rather, the study highlights the unemployed young graduates’ lived experiences. Among the highly mentioned experiences of these unemployed graduate youth were social exclusion by their communities, family and friends; unmitigated blame; loss of respect, esteem, and self-esteem; wrongful accusations; and unappreciated domestic work.

Water is basic necessity for life, and in many parts of the world its demand exceeds supply due to socio-economic and environmentally related factors. The village of Maun located in north western Botswana, also known as the headquarters of numerous safari and air-charter operations who run tourism related trips into the Okavango Delta, faces persistent water shortage in spite of its location in an area where surface is abundant. Water shortage has had dire impacts on livelihoods of Maun residents and other economic activities. This study investigated the nature of the water scarcity problem in Maun village. The specific objectives of the study were 1) to investigate the causes of water shortage in Maun, 2) to determine the effects of water scarcity on households, and 3) to determine coping strategies for water shortage in Maun. Data was gathered through interviewing households located in a site severely impacted by the problem. Key informant interviews were also held with water supply authorities at the Department of water Affairs in Maun. This study revealed that water scarcity problem in Maun emanates not from environmental constraints, but rather from poor planning by water supply authorities.