29 Mar 2017

Assistant Minister of Health and Wellness, Mr Dikgang Makgalemele has encouraged the youth to be ambassadors of good health.
He said this recently when addressing participants of men and boys for Gender Equality Life Skills training camp at Mmokolodi Nature Reserve.
For them to stay healthy, youth have been urged to exercise, eat healthy and stay away from alcohol and drugs.
Mr Makgalemele said to promote healthy eating they must have gardens at their backyards where they could grow vegetables.
He said backyard gardening was not necessarily for elderly people but could be used as a means to supplement feeding.
Furthermore, he encouraged them to partake in sporting activities such as constituency tournaments which could help them to stay healthy.
He said his ministry takes issues of health and wellness to heart hence they sponsored the training camp through the alcohol levy fund.
Mr Makgalemele said the fund was set up to help reduce alcohol abuse, adding that men and boys for gender equality training was in line with alcohol consumption reduction.  
He said youth have many challenges hence the ministry decided to sponsor the training session and further encouraged youth not to give up in the midst of challenges. He called upon young people to take advantage of government empowerment programmes such as BOCODOL, Youth Development Fund (YDF) or setting up co-operatives.
Mr Makgalemele said there was a future in co-operatives and pledged to help those interested in setting up co-operatives to improve their lives.
Men and boys for gender equality team leader, Mr Desmond Lunga said their programme targets out of school youth who were likely to be involved in drugs or they were already into drugs.
Mr Lunga said they provide counselling to young people and encourage them to live a drugs free life.
Mr Lunga said they have already reached out to over 253 youth from Old Naledi, Extension 27 in Gaborone, Ramotswa, Mmathethe, Digawana, Molapowabojang, Mochudi, Molepolole and Lerwaneng.
He said they teach the children life skills and also link them to government empowerment programmes which can improve their lives as well as other survival skills. ENDS