08 Nov 2015

People living with disabilities have been encouraged to uplift their lives through government economic empowerment programmes.

An official from the Ministry of Education and Skills Development, Mr Molemi Rammala, said this on Friday November 6 at Botswana Red Cross’s Tlamelong Rehabilitation Centre. Twenty-nine (29) people living with various disabilities graduated with certificates in horticulture and textile.

Mr Rammala told the graduates that after spending two years at the centre, they would go home and face unemployment. 

However, he said they should not to despair as their training was only meant to prepare them for the future hence it is up to them to seize available opportunities.

 Mr Rammala who is also living with disability said there are programmes such as LEA, CEDA and other economic empowerment opportunities which they can take advantage of. He said there are people who have proved that disability is not an inability hence they ought to draw courage from such people. 

“We have the potential to achieve what we want, it’s all depend on you to achieve that,” added Mr Rammala.

 Further, he said people living with disabilities depend on government hands outs and further encouraged them to affiliate to organizations which support people with disabilities.

 For her part, Coordinator for Tlamelong Rehabilitation Center Ms Lerato Koko said Botswana Red Cross receives its students from social workers from around the country. 

 She said some of the students come from remote areas and they are unable to write and read by the time they are admitted.

 However, she said they have liaised with the ministry of education and skills development to have such leaners enrolled into learning how to read and write.

 For his part, a headman of arbitration from Tlokweng village, Kgosi Petso Matsetse said the society expect people living with disabilities to take advantage of existing programmes. Ends