A/HRC/42/47/Add.5 who are terminally ill to protect their access to essential water and sanitation. These include the Destitution programme whereby a poor household is assessed and registered as needy and therefore is exempted from all levies and utilities and the local Council pays [these] on their behalf. They also receive a cash allowance of P250 ($25) every month and a monthly food basket for the family. There is also an Orphan Care programme for orphans which covers all orphans who are registered with the local Council with their monthly needs and any other support they need including [a] monthly food basket, school uniform, school necessities and funds for their social amenities. People with disabilities, the elderly aged 65 years and above and World War II Veterans or their surviving spouses have monthly cash allowances of P400 ($40), P430 ($43) and P550 ($55) respectively to cater for their basic necessities which include water and sanitation.” 42. In the period 2015/2016, there were 32,865 beneficiaries of programmes for orphaned and children in vulnerable situations. An assessment of the Orphan Care Programme, carried out by UNICEF in 2016, documented negative experiences regarding the distribution of toiletries. In some cases, it was indicated that the soap provided led to skin rashes. Moreover, the resources provided for food and toiletries were sometimes not enough for caregivers of orphans to buy the intended amounts, which affected school attendance and performance negatively.14 43. The Special Rapporteur welcomes the Government’s efforts to introduce and maintain programmes aimed at alleviating conditions of poverty for the poor, the elderly, orphans, people with disabilities and others who are in need, including by paying their water and sanitation bills or providing a cash allowance to cover water and sanitation costs. Programmes such as these are of vital importance to the realisation of the human rights to water and sanitation in line with the obligation of non-discrimination. LIMITED PROGRESS: The Special Rapporteur notes that the Government implemented several short-term measures to safeguard access to water and sanitation for the population in vulnerable situations. He recommends that the Government continue and improve its efforts to further strengthen these safeguards, particularly long-term measures with a broader coverage, such as special tariffs and subsidies, in order to protect the human rights to water and sanitation for these individuals and groups. F. Recommendation on maintenance and operation of services RECOMMENDATION 11: “Invest, including human resources, in the maintenance and operation of new and existing services in order to avoid deterioration in the services currently provided and provide financial and technical support to the districts” (A/HRC/33/49/Add.3, para. 72(n)) 44. In order to conform with the normative content of the rights to water and sanitation, states must ensure the sustainability of the services that are provided. In this regard, and in light of the current condition of Botswana’s water and sanitation services and infrastructure, the Special Rapporteur noted that care must be taken to prevent existing services from falling out of order, whilst investing in new infrastructure to promote the rights to water and sanitation (A/HRC/33/49/Add.3, paras. 43-44). 45. In its response to the country visit report the Government accepted the efficacy of this recommendation and stated that the Ministry of Minerals, Energy and Water Resources requested additional funding for the restoration of dilapidated water and sanitation infrastructure (A/HRC/33/49/Add.6, para. 34). Equally, in its comments made in relation to the follow-up questionnaire, the Government noted that “Botswana has secured a loan from the World Bank of a sum of USD$146m to refurbish, rehabilitate and develop infrastructure United Nations Children’s Fund, “Assessment of the Orphan Care Programme, Botswana”, 2016, pp. 28, 34 https://www.unicef.org/evaldatabase/files/Assesment_of_OVC_Programme_Print_Botswana_2016001.pdf. 14 11