The former England players, with 118 caps between them, have travelled to the capital city Gaborone to help The FA's work using football to raise awareness of HIV and AIDS.

The primary purpose of the visit is to promote The FA’s international outreach programme. The FA recognises its responsibility to help develop the game of football worldwide and believes it to be an effective tool for promoting health messages.

As part of the trip the party are visiting an SOS Children’s Village (one of The FA’s international charity partners) which provides homes for some 200 abandoned or orphaned children, ranging from babies to teenagers and aims to talk to doctors, nurses and patients to gain an insight into their lives.

They will also be visiting the HIV treatment centre at Gaborone Hospital and hosting a training session for local children at the National Stadium.

Gascoigne said: "I am very excited about visiting Botswana. It is my first visit to Africa and I am looking forward to meeting as many people as possible and learning a bit about life in the country.

"I know that football is very popular in Botswana and I am delighted to be working with The FA to use football to raise awareness of HIV and AIDS."

According to the United Nations, one in three adults in Botswana is infected with HIV or has developed AIDS. Many thousands of children have been orphaned as a result. The average life expectancy is 37 years old.

Botswana is one of The FA's partners through the UEFA-CAF Meridian Project. This programme is part of a series of visits which the FA regularly undertakes in Africa and they will be visiting Botswana again in October to progress the work they have been doing.

As part of the visit, The FA will also be evaluating the suitability of Botswana as a potential football venue in the lead-up to the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

TheFA.com will bring you a full report on the Botswana visit later in the week.