Madikwe means: “red flowing water ”and is originated in Tswana, the language spoken by the majority of the people living in the area. Madikwe is located in the Northwest Province of South Africa. The capital of the province Mafikeng lays approximately 140km west of the area. Madikwe stretches far through the so-called Marico Bosveld, giving it the typical flair of the African Bush. It stretches up over Swartruggens in the east, Zeerust in the west, the Dwarsberge in the north and the Highveld escarpment in the south. In the middle lays the place Groot Marico, which gives the environment its name. The town is named after the Groot Marico River, one of the few perennial rivers in this area. Madikwe is a very rural area. The agricultural sector dominates the economy and offers the most employment opportunities. Tobacco, chillies, maize, wheat, soya beans, cotton and vegetables are the main products on the farms. The farms get their water from the two dams with a capacity of 41 Mio m³, but continuing periods of drought led to problems in the water supply of the farms. The MRDP itself is situated in Skuinsdrift, a hamlet in the Madikwe area. Hundreds of Batswana have accessed support from the MRDP since January 1989.
Socio – demographical backround of the target region The majority of the inhabitants in the area belong to the ethnical group of the Batswana (95%). The other 5% are white South Africans (English or Afrikaans speaking) and Indian people. The Batswana are divided in the Bafuhurutse, the Bakwena and the Barolong, amongst others. Most of them are farm workers earning the minimum wage per month. They live in tribes/extended family structures but their traditional values and norms are losing their importance more and more. The fundamental traditional core of “Motho ke motho ka batho” is being weathered away by modern influences. This leads to an increase of social problems such as single parents, unintentional and teenage pregnancies, HIV/Aids, malnutrition of children and adolescents. Furthermore the members of the community suffer from problems like alcoholism, lack of education opportunities, violence, lack of perspectives, illiteracy, unemployment, poverty etc.