20 Nov 2018

Christmas came early for learners of Lephoi Centre in Francistown, thanks to Bonnana Grooming Centre English Pre-School and Francistown Rotary Club.

The two institutions donated 150 mattresses and blankets and treated the pupils to a debonairs lunch and snacks.

Lephoi Centre supports visually impaired school going pupils aged 6-15 years in accessing specialised education at nearby Phatlhogo Primary School in Monarch.

The centre provides services such as residency, rehabilitation, academic support, psycho-social support, spiritual development as well as skills development.

Speaking at the event, the owner of Bonnana Grooming Centre English Pre-School, Ms Sebongile Ntema said the donation was made possible through the teaming of her school and Francistown Rotary Club.

She explained that the donation was made possible through a fundraising dinner, which she organised after she visited the school and discovered that there was a need to replace the old mattresses with new ones as well as to buy new blankets.

Ms Ntema thanked companies and individuals that supported the dinner by buying tickets and tables, saying their support would go a long way in improving the lives of the learners.

For his part, the coordinator of Lephoi Centre, Mr Ephraim Ngoma appealed to individuals and companies to support the centre with donations of any kind “because they are many projects that the centre intends to undertake.’”

Mr Ngoma explained that the centre intended to build a multi-purpose hall for school pupils and members of the Monarch community.

The school also urgently needs a sick bay and also faces a serious challenge of shortage of transport, he added.

Other challenges, he said, included the refurbishment of the dining room and kitchen, painting of the whole centre as well as various maintenances that need to be undertaken in the school, adding that all the projects required approximately P15 million.

On other issues, Mr Ngoma explained that vulnerable children, as part of the future of the country, needed to be taken care of.

He said apart from the various skills the children had and their uniqueness, they also needed academic work which would help them achieve their dreams in life.

Mr Ngoma told his audience that the centre was in pursuit of a new strategic plan which would require the involvement of all key stakeholders for the strategy to work.

He said the centre has embarked on poultry projects and has already turned into the egg seller of Monarch with 200 broilers.

Mr Ngoma said the whole idea was to make the centre sustainable, and not to carry a “begging bowl” forever. ENDS