02 Jun 2013

The coordinator of Women Against Rape (WAR) centre in Maun has dismissed reports that the centre will soon close shop due to funds mismanagement.

Ms Peggy Ramaphane explained in an interview that some of the contracts they had with the donors were coming to an end, hence the centre had to terminate contracts of some of their employees until the centre secures funding.

“Most of the contracts we have with our sponsors were three year long and will expire this month, hence some of our employees being on three-year contracts,” she said. She indicated that they had re-applied for funding and once their application for funding were approved, the employees could then re-apply for the jobs.

“That is how the NGO world works, but some people do not want to work on voluntary basis and are not patient enough to wait for us to secure funding,” she said.

Speaking about some of their donors who were on three year contracts, Ms Ramaphane said they received funding from the Alcohol Levy Fund, Raising Voices from Uganda, Freedom House from South Africa, gender affairs department and Attorney General’s Chamber.

She said the centre also had a one year rolling contract with the Stephen Lewis Foundation from Canada, adding that the foundation had asked them to re-apply for one-year extension.

She said only the Attorney General’s Chamber had extended its contract with them to March 2014. Ms Ramaphane further said there were no indications that they would not be able to continue to get funding from the donors they were working with before.

She also hoped for government’s assistance, saying they worked well with government departments and their service was paramount to government’s cause of helping women and children.

“We are also expecting the American Embassy to help us with our defilement campaign,” she said. Amongst other things, Ms Ramaphane said the funding they got from donors helped them run the safe house for abused women and children, alcohol abuse campaigns and the legal aid programme.

She also explained that the centre got audited regularly and they accounted for all their funds. ENDS