18 May 2017

In its efforts to recruit more people, the Botswana Homeless and Poor People’s Federation has grown to include places outside Francistown.

In an interview, one of the federation’s leading members, Ms Keletso Dambe stated that their organisation had now expanded into Matshelagabedi, Borolong, Mathangwane, Marobela, Tutume, Nkange, Mosojane, Ramokgwebana, Moroka, Tshesebe, Mokokwane and Mosweu as well as Jackalas 2.

She added that two sets of groups have been mobilised to start the movement in Gumare.

Their expansion to other areas, Ms Dambe said, were bearing fruit as people were enthusiastic to learn about their programmes and how they could join them.

She noted that their organisation had different schemes such as a burial society, savings schemes to renovate properties and academic savings which help members to cover their children’s school fees and other educational needs.

She said they were planning on creating a revolving fund where members could contribute P20 on a monthly basis.

She added that the fund would enable members to seek loans to start businesses and acquire plots and construct houses.

In order for the fund to finance big projects, she said, they had decided that each member should part with P1 000 in a once-off basis.

Their aim, she explained, was for the fund to hold P2.5 million before they start handing out loans to members.

“The interest rate of our loans will be really lower. One will pay P2, P5 and P7 interest rate for every P100 borrowed per individual, medium businesses and bigger ones respectively,” she said.

Furthermore, Ms Dambe said they were not only aiming at helping people improve their lives by saving, but were also involved in large community projects.

She noted that beginning this month, they would be carrying out an enumeration beginning at Boikhutso Ward in Francistown West to help them understand how people live socially and economically.

The enumeration, she explained, would be carried out in the same professional manner as those done by Botswana Statistics as they would have statisticians from Shack Dwellers International surrounding countries such as South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe.

“Our partners from Shack Dwellers International will be with us only for a week to train us on how to go about conducting this enumeration, and from there we will be alone,” she said.

She said the enumeration would take six months and that from Boikhutso Ward, it would spread to other areas of Francistown. Ms Dambe noted that they were mobilising assistance for the task, and that the response has been overwhelming.

Ms Dambe also said if it was not for their stakeholders and partners such as BBS Bank who were their bankers and donated a laptop, printer and cameras, and the United States of America (USA) Embassy in Botswana who donated a portal cabin as well as Molao Matters for being their legal partner, including the Monarch Customary Court president, Kgosi Gunny Moses, who was their number one mobiliser, their federation would have been stagnant.

The Homeless and Poor People’s Federation is an organisation that aims at encouraging poor and disadvantaged people to develop a culture of self-reliance through financial savings that can be done daily or monthly according to their financial capabilities.

It is run by a non-governmental organisation (NGO) called Trust for Community Initiatives, which ensures it complies with all financial laws and rules.

Members of the federation are allowed to save any amount from as little as P1 through the different saving schemes availed to them.

The federation was founded by Shack Dwellers International based in India.

When the initiative proved successful, it was rolled out to many other countries including Botswana and anyone can be a member of the federation. ENDS