03 Oct 2016

Prior to the golden jubilee celebrations, Ngamiland Council of Non-Governmental Organisations (NCONGO) hosted an expo to showcase the work of its members and other civil society organisations who contributed to the nation's vision.
The event was meant to raise awareness and celebrate the organisation's success over the past 50 years as well as call for more civil engagement in national development.
In an interview, the treasurer of Botswana Council of Non-Governmental Organisations (BOCONGO), Mr Jerry Moloko said civil society had played key role in development of the country, that is why they organised the event to reflect on and celebrate their achievements.
He said the civil society provided a variety of high quality services and also adviced government where necessary, adding that they also helped in formulation of some policies.
He also explained that the event was meant to take services to the people, noting that most of the time they worked in isolation and it was wise to gather in one place so that people could appreciate different services offered by the civil societies.
“We wanted to take the council to the people so that they could understand how they could benefit from the organisations and also give us feedback on how best we could serve them,” he added.
Mr Moloko appreciated that Botswana was still rated the best country in good governance and democracy.
Mr Moloko said government was responsive and appreciative of the visible efforts by the civil society.
He said establishment of the council was also an achievement as it showed that their voice was heard.
He, however, emphasised the need to strengthen and enhance the relationship between government and civil society.
He also noted that some NGOs faced some challenges of lack of funding to drive their mandate, but stated that through their collaboration with the government, they could ensure the organisations strive to survive.
He said most of the NGOs relied much on donors and their coffers were affected after the donors walked away with a view that Botswana was now in a position to support them.
He regretted that some organisations were not mature enough to stand on their own and interface with government.
He further noted that most of their work is done through volunteerism, which means they do not even have enough resources to push their agenda considering national issues such as airing their view on the budget debate, visions and other issues of interest to the communities they serve. ENDS