13 Jul 2017

The Letlhakeng-based Botsogo Association for the Disabled is appealing for assistance to equip their garden with facilities that will enable it to start running.  

Speaking in an interview, the association’s chairperson, Mr Ofetotse Bikimane said the garden was very vital to the dignity of people living with disabilities in the village as it was their main hope of employment opportunities. 

He said currently about 90 per cent of people with disability in the village were unemployed, and that once the garden is established they would engage them to grow and sell vegetable and therefore make a living and live dignified lives. 

“We are currently using the Village Development Committee (VDC) garden, but they have since indicated intent to have it back as they want to establish a market place there. 

Again the VDC garden has poor soils for vegetable growth,” he said. 

He said shortage of resources has seen their membership dwindle from the initial 126 at establishment to below 100 at the moment, something he said was due to the fact that their association was purely voluntary and does not yet have the capacity to pay even allowances. 

Mr Bikimane said their three hectare garden, which was allocated in 2013 and fenced through the assistance of the Ministry of Agricultural Development and Food Security under the ISPAAD programme, needs facilities such as office space, storeroom as well as a room to provide psycho-social support for people living with disability. 

Such facilities, he said would also enable the association to offer short courses such as dressmaking and sewing to their members. 

He said once well established, the garden would not only engage people living with disabilities, but their caretakers as well as other abled, but disadvantaged members of the society. 

Mr Bikimane said the association, which was started in 2007 and registered three years later had the objective of ensuring that people with disabilities were not discriminated against. 

“We were concerned by the tendency of the society to hide people with disabilities from the public eye as if they were a shame,” he said. 

Despite the challenges they face, Mr Bikimane was appreciative of the offices of the deputy district commissioner and that of the area member of parliament for their constant support. 

He said his association had also undertaken benchmarking trips to sister associations in Molepolole and Otse, and that they would use the invaluable experience to run theirs. 

He also indicated that they would be willing to negotiate with any potential business partner, although he said they would do that on the advice of relevant stakeholders such as the village leadership and the office of the deputy district commissioner. 

Mr Bikimane also indicated that apart from the huge garden, his association had also been vocal in ensuring that people living with disabilities were included in Ipelegeng as well government department under various existing programmes like internship, Graduate Volunteer Scheme as well as Botswana National Service Programme. 

He also said once established, they intend to spread to other villages outside Letlhakeng. SNDs