27 Oct 2015

As the year 2016 draws closer, many Batswana continue to double their efforts to achieve the Vision 2016 pillars. 

Football teams have come together to donate toiletry to Childline Botswana during their charity tournament staged in Mogoditshane recently.

The football teams which extended a helping hand to the less privileged also slugged it out on a one-day football tournament. They included GrandPalm, Lansmore and Masingitha.

Speaking in an interview in Mogoditshane on Sunday, one of the organisers of the tournament, Gaone Madimabe disclosed that the idea was their brainchild in their endeavour to try and achieve the Vision 2016 pillar of a compassionate, just and caring nation.

“One of our players suggested that we should come up with an idea to help raise money for Childline in order to help the children housed there. 

We then agreed with the idea as we know that our government has pleaded with the public to help each other in any way we can. We also know that this is in line with our Vision 2016 pillar hence we started approaching different teams,” Madimabe explained.

 He revealed that after the teams which they approached seconded their idea, they tasked each one of them to contribute P1 000 and also to take part in a one-day tournament.

He went on to explain that after garnering funds from the three participating teams they approached Childline, sold them the idea and agreed that they buy toiletry which the organisation said they needed most.

Among the products that were handed to Childline by the teams included pampers, washing powder and vaseline.

The coordinator of operations at Childline, Olebile Machete showered words of praise to the three teams.

“These teams approached us and made an offer. This donation is a great relief as it gives us a lifeline and will help us save money which we could have used to buy these products,” Machete noted.

He explained that Childline houses children who have been abandoned and were in need. 

“Initially we were supposed to house children under the age of five years, but currently we have some who are nine years old. In a month we accommodate around  22 children while some come only for a weekend,” he said.

He said they do not get a grant from the government or private companies, and pleaded with the public for more aid as some of the children were school going hence the need for more assistance.

The tournament organisers said their vision was to make the tournament an annual event. Ends