03 Jun 2014

In just two months of its re-introduction, Tirelo Setshaba, also known as Botswana National Service Programme (BNSP), has already transformed the life of one Ms Onalenna Mogotsi so much that if she had her way, the programme would continue in many years to come.

Twenty-year-old Ms Mogotsi, of Marobela in the Tutume Sub-district, said since she enrolled for Tirelo Setshaba service in April this year, her life has had some new meaning. 

“I had begun to lose hope in life because I had been unemployed for more than four years and life was not so easy for a single parent like me,” said the mother of three, adding that she depended on family members for support. 

She said when she heard about the programme from a friend, she did not hesitate to apply because she wanted to see a change in her life. 

“I took a leap of faith and submitted my application at the Tutume offices and when I received notification that I had been admitted, I instinctively knew that my life was about to change,” she said. With only a Junior Certificate (JC) under her sleeves, Ms Mogotsi said she had no idea how her life was going to change.

When she was ultimately told that she was going to work in the tribal administration office in Marobela, she said it felt like a dream because, with the kind of education she had, such chances were slim.

“It was hard to believe and what excited me most was the thought of waking up in the morning and going to work in the office, something I had always dreamt about,” explained Ms Mogotsi.

She said her first day at work on April 1, was a bit intimidating because she did not know what to expect meeting people she had never interacted with, let alone known them.  However, two months down the line, she appreciates her colleagues because they gave her a warm welcome that had since made her feel at home.

Her duties include, amongst others, taking telephone calls, attending to people who come to open cases at the customary court, and other administration tasks. 

“Ii is a job that I enjoy very much because I learn a lot and I believe the experience that I get here will take me somewhere. I have been able to buy groceries and other small provisions with my monthly allowance,” she said. 

She plans to save a bit of her income every month for the next three months or so to buy the tools needed to start a small off-work hair plaiting business. 

“I have always known how to plait hair but for some reason I never thought of doing it as a form of an income generating venture. Indeed, waking up every morning and going to work can really open one’s mind,” she says.

She said even though it had only been two months since she started work, she was grateful because it had restored her hopes, making worthwhile what seemed like a doomed life. 

Ms Mogotsi, who has already started looking beyond Tirelo Sechaba perceiving it as a door to greater things, said often times she came across individuals who discouraged her by saying she was wasting her time.

“When I complete my programme here and receive my certificate I can go and seek employment anywhere because I will be having the necessary experience,” she said as way of countering her detractors.

What gave her greater joy was the fact that the government saved part of their allowances aside which they would get annually. ENDS