13 Dec 2015

In their gesture to give back to the community BotswanaPost foundation have donated 100 desk buddies to 10 primary schools in Gaborone and the surrounding areas.

A Desk buddy is a portable study desk that incorporates a solar rechargeable battery and a LED light, which is designed to study outside or inside the classroom set up in the absence of a normal classroom desk. 

The primary schools are Bontleng, Solomon Dihutso, Nkoyaphiri, Tshwaragano Bosele, Thebe, Mafitlhakgosi, Diphetogo and Notwane. They received the desk buddy units while Cheshire Foundation received a toiletry hamper amounting to P20 000.

When handing the donation, Ms Georginah Dennison who serves as the chairperson of Botswana Post foundation Gaborone region said the donation is a fulfilment of a commitment they made to the Ministry of Education and Development Skills.

Ms Dennison pointed out that the donation is a way of responding to the vision 2016 pillars by addressing issues of education by helping to create a conducive learning environment for children.

She also said for them it is an opportunity to give back to the community and living yet another pillar of the vision 2016 of a compassionate and just caring nation.

Ms Dennison said they have divided their regions into five parts, from which every region will receive at least about 100 desk buddy units. 

“We identified schools in Gaborone and the surrounding areas that are in need and from the many that have been listed we shortlisted only 10 which will receive 10 desk buddy units from us,” she said.

 She said the task to identify pupils who will benefit from the donation was entrusted to the schools. 

She explained the reason being that the schools are the ones which are better placed to understand the pupils’ needs. 

She said the idea is to give back to the community by helping those who are in need by sharing the little profit they are making.

Furthermore Ms Dennison said she is hoping the desk buddy will contribute to the betterment of the children’s education by providing them with alternative means of studying. 

She said due to some pupils having limitations to services like electricity the deskbuddy will come in handy.

Receiving the donation, the representative of the beneficiaries, a teacher at Bontleng primary Ms Sophie Mogalakwe expressed her gratitude on behalf of the beneficiaries.

She noted that the challenges they are facing as teachers in their work area is that a lot of pupils are not performing well, adding that however the donation will help those who are not performing well.

She explained that the donation will encourage the pupils and  act as motivation for them.

“The desk buddies are user friendly and as such will help the kids to study at their own time while at the same time serving as a solution to those without electricity,” she said. Ends