01 Feb 2017

The Peace Corps in collaboration with the American Embassy have been commended for imparting photographic skills to young Batswana through an initiative dubbed Viewfinder Botswana.

Speaking on behalf of the deputy district commissioner for Mogoditshane-Thamaga Sub-district during the graduation of five youths of Thamaga on Friday, the principal public library officer in Thamaga, Mr Tshegofatso Tshwanang, assured the parties that Botswana was mindful and supportive of what they were doing.

He said the US embassy, through its programmes under the Peace Corps initiative, was continuing to uplift and render support to the youth.

Mr Tshwanang said introducing the Viewfinder Botswana programme was a sign that they had identified skills gap among the youths and intended to develop them to be independent. 

He said the skills obtained by the graduates would go a long way in assisting them land employment or start their own businesses.

For his part, former Botswana Accountancy College director, Mr Michael Lesolle, congratulated the graduates for completing a 20-hour course, saying storytelling came natural to individuals and urged them to use their skills to capture and keep useful memories.

“In this era there are so many stories to tell and I am told a picture never lies. So go out there and tell these stories,” he said.

He urged them to be aware of what is happening around them and encouraged them to never let anyone undermine their skills insisting that everyone was talented in a different way.

Mr Lesolle continued to commend Viewfinder Botswana for a job well done and said it was important to see such an initiative implemented hence pleaded with the graduates to share their skills with other young people in their community.

One of the Peace Corps Ms Bettina Barillas said Viewfinder Botswana was an initiative started in 2015 by some of the Peace Corps from Thamaga, Molepolole and Mmankgodi in collaboration with the US embassy.

She said it was aiming at teaching the youth how to use photographic skills to document social issues in their communities.

Ms Barillas expressed her gratitude to a former graduate of the same program Ms Gofaone Makhaya who was also the Lead Instructor for the course.

She said Ms Makhaya who graduated in 2015 volunteered to train some youths in Thamaga as a way of empowering them and giving back to her community. 

The graduates who completed the course were Ms Onkabetse Motshwarakgole, Ms Atamelang Nthompe, Messrs Karabo Makhaya, Thuto Serinane and Thatayaone Pebe. BOPA