31 Mar 2015

It is upon the society to care for the elderly and people with mental illness, says the managing director of Native Impressions, Mr Mpho Balopi

Officially launching Re Fa Ka Bone Caring Centre in Ramotswa, Mr Balopi said the country had managed to realise some achievements due to the foresight of the elderly.

He said it was upon the able-bodied to take care of the older generation adding that parents bore children with the hope that such children would care for them in the future.

Furthermore, Mr Balopi, who is also the secretary general of the  Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), called upon parents to raise their children in such a way that they would become responsible members of society.

He regretted that most parents had abandoned the traditional way of upbringing children, where each parent in the society was at liberty to discipline wayward children. Mr Balopi said traditionally, corporal punishment was central to the upbringing of children but today, parents shun that.

“There is nothing like modern parents,”he said adding that failure to discipline children could lead to delinquency. Earlier, Kgosi Mosadi Seboko of Balete commended the center for caring for the elderly who contributed immensely to the country’s development.

She said the center fills a gap in the society as it affords elders an opportunity to have a place where they can come together to experience care and love. Furthermore, she commended the center for having extended their services to people with mental illness and made an appeal to society to care for such people.

Re Fa Ka Bone Caring Centre  coordinator, Ms Akanyang Mokwena said they started the project in 2011, and they have 37 elders under their care as well as 27 mentally ill people. Nonetheless, she noted that they have experienced challenges such as ferrying elders for medical checkups and financial shortage.

Meanwhile, Mr Balopi pledged to buy a monthly grocery for the center as well as contribute a cheque for P5000. ENDS