17 Mar 2015

Mmathethe junior school minister of academic affairs, Ms Duduetsang Baaitse says sanitary pads are essential to the welfare of a girl child.

Ms Baaitse made the remarks during donation handover ceremony of sanitary pads and toiletry to Mmathethe Junior Secondary students by Sir Ketumile Masire foundation recently in Mmathethe.

She was hopeful the invaluable gesture by Sir Ketumile Masire Foundation will not only meet students’ need but will have a positive bearing on junior certificate results garnered by students.

“I was perturbed by below par performance by our school in past junior certificate examinations and believe gifts will help catapult students’ academic performance in future,” she said such social responsibility programme is a step in the right direction and need to be promoted.

The lives of the beneficiaries she said will never be the same and wished for the relationship to continue. The school head, Ms Tebogo Mack mentioned that teenage pregnancy, shortage of facilities as among a myriad of problems bedeviling her school with pupils’ population of 804.

She said to try and meet students’ needs; the school management has devised fund-raising strategies proceeds of which go towards purchase of toiletry and sanitary pads for needy students.

Mr Richard Mabaso of Imbumba foundation, South Africa who co-sponsored the donation with Sir Ketumile Masire Foundation said his organisation which first came to Botswana last year was impressed by empowerment and development given to the girl child in Botswana.

As partners with Sir Ketumile, Mr Mabaso pledged his organisation intends to augment the support it gives to Botswana.

Ms Thabang Marapo of Barclays Bank Botswana whose company has been co-sponsors of the donation with Sir Ketumile Masire Foundation for some years commended fellow sponsors and urged pupils to push hard on their studies to be better people in future.

Kgosi Daniel Mathiba of Mmathethe challenged recipients of the gifts to do well in their studies so that they too can return favor and sponsor other less-privileged pupils in future. Ms Matshidiso Masire of Sir Ketumile Masire Foundation presented the goods to the school management. 

Her sister, Mmasekgoa-Masire Mwamba also graced the occasion. ENDS