SOS Children’s Villages mother Betty Mpodi is the inspiration for Mma Potokwane of the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, best-selling author Alexander McCall Smith has revealed.

During a recent visit to SOS Children’s Villages, Tlokweng, Smith said, “As my readers know, she is a very determined lady who does everything she can to help the children.”

The HIV/AIDS epidemic has meant the traditional system of extended families has broken down in Botswana. Mpodi is one of the many SOS mothers who help the children to reach their full potential.

“What impresses me most is that every child gets unconditional love. It is the most extraordinary feeling every time I come here,” said Smith, who returns regularly to visit the SOS children. “It is very encouraging to see the good work that is being done to help all these children. I admire SOS Children’s Villages greatly.”

Children in Botswana have benefited from the help of SOS Children’s Villages for almost 25 years. Over this time it has grown to help raise the nation’s many children who have been orphaned due to AIDS, which has hit the southern African country hard.

“There is a certain pace of life here, a slowness that is very special,” added the author who grew up in Botswana and once taught Law at its University.

SOS-Tlokweng also runs youth facilities and vocational training centers that help teenagers to make the transition to independence, alongside the SOS clinic and kindergarten that are open to local families.

By Dan Sumner

SPONSOR A CHILD IN AFRICA WITH SOS CHILDREN’S VILLAGES