19 Apr 2018

The Seventh Day Adventist Church’s (SDA) Pathfinder Club has gathered the youth in Letlhakane for a week long camp to equip them with life skills and enhance discipline. 

The club’s mandate works specifically with cultural, social and religious education of children from a tender age. 

Pastor Emmanuel Moseki of Boteti explained during the official opening ceremony of the camp on Tuesday that the Northern Botswana Conference (NBC) pathfinder’s camp held annually in different regions attracted about 700 children of ages ranging from 10 to 15 years from different areas in the northern region.

He said safety precautions were in place and leaders were there to exercise their responsibility of taking care of the young and supporting them through the camp. 

Kgosi Boweditswe Rethatoleng of Letlhakane expressed gratitude to the church for coming up with an educative and nurturing club that would help mould children into responsible young adults, quoting a Setswana proverb that says ‘Lore le ojwa lo sale metsi,’ which means it is easy to teach children while still young. 

Kgosi Rethatoleng said given the amount of indiscipline among the youth, such camps came in handy. 

He said it was pleasing to see a church making attempts to teach children about lifestyle skills at a tender age though alive to the difficulties that came with organising such campaigns. Ms Bokhutlo Tebatso, a social worker at the office of the district commissioner, said the camp was a good initiative in terms of discipline and that it was important in the upbringing of children. 

Ms Tebatso said a disciplined mind led to happiness whereas the opposite led to suffering. 

She advised them to make good use of what the camp had for them to be successful because with discipline came success. 

Orapa Police Inspector, Mr John Fisher touched on the Children’s Act. He said they should not abuse their rights and neglect their parents in the name of rights. 

He said children’s rights were limited, and that they were neither beyond nor above any other persons. 

Mr Fisher said a child should remain humble to their parents regardless of age. 

He appealed to parents not to abuse children, but to look to God for guidance. ENDS