17 Feb 2015

A re Tsheleng Foundation chief executive officer, Ms Elia Seagalale, has applauded the Mother Bear Organisation from America for their efforts at showing and giving kids love. 

Ms Seagalale said this at a bear donation event organised by Gata le nna peer educator group in collaboration with Mother Bear organisation held on Valentine’s Day at Werda in Kgalagadi District.

Two hundred and eighty lower class students of Werda Primary School and Sam Mackenzie Primary School were given teddy bears by a representative of the Mother bear organisation. 

Ms Seagalale said Mother Bear had done an awesome work that could bring a positive change in the society, adding that giving children love at a tender age was very essential as it groomed the child and instilled the spirit of love in them.

She said since love in accordance with the Bible was kind, patient, slow to anger, and did not envy, therefore instilling the spirit of love in young children who are the future would surely displace the current dominating social ills in the society.

She said showing children love was very essential as they would appreciate by being obedient and submissive at home and school, adding that it was also motivational as children could take their education seriously. Ms Seagalale revealed that as children appreciate love by studying hard, it will back up the government of Botswana which is making strides in improving the country’s education system. 

“We are living in an era where education has become a major economic factor, after the diamond and the beef industry; I therefore urge parents and teachers to show children love as it can boost the economy of our country thus eradicating poverty and unemployment”, she said. She encouraged children to appreciate the love that they were getting by loving others, being obedient and taking their academic work serious as by so doing will deposit great transformation.

The representative of the Mother Bear project who is also a peace corp volunteer at Tapologo Junior Secondary School, Ms Maggie Barry, famously known as Neo, explained that Mother Bear started in 2003 in the United States of America. She said women from all the 50 states of USA knitted bears and donated them to those children infected and affected by HIV/AIDS to give them love, hope, comfort and support.

Ms Barry said this act portrayed that it takes many people to raise a child, no matter where one resides every child is theirs. She said at a later stage her organisation decided to donate to children across the whole world to show them love. Furthermore, she said the teddy bears symbolised love and care for others. She advised the community of Werda to know that they were one people and should love and support one another, irrespective of their race, colour and religion.

The organiser of the event, Ms Yvonne Motshabise, who is a Senior Guidance and counseling teacher at Tapologo JSS and spear heads Gata le nna, said it was the first time for her peer educator group to reach out to the community, but they intended to reach out more. She also advised women to unite and do something that will make a difference in the lives of children because they had the potential of doing the same as women who are involved in the Mother Bear 

Ms Motshabise advised women to utilise women empowerment schemes such as Gender Affairs, stating that with the help of empowerment schemes and NGO’s they could make the world a better place to live in. Finally, she advised parents and children to take good care of the bears. ENDS