23 Apr 2019

Women of Deserteez Foundation donated 30 blankets to Tsabong Primary Hospital on April 21.

Speaking during the handover ceremony, the foundation’s vice chairperson, Ms Malebogo Kgannyeng, said when they started operations in 2013, they intended to assist the needy and vulnerable communities in Kgalagadi District and Gaborone.

She said since they formed their organisation, they had never donated, so this was a historic move.

Ms Kgannyeng stated that they chose to donate to Tsabong Primary Hospital ahead of the winter season where temperatures could reach extreme levels.

Furthermore, she said, after looking at their finances, they found it fit to use the money for a worthwhile cause.

“We come from these rural communities, our families are here and we see the challenges that they are facing, we feel the pinch also as individual families who live far away from them. Some of Deserteez women do not come from Kgalagadi but they are married here. Kgalagadi is our home,” she said.

She explained that they established the foundation  primarily to form strong synergies and support network of Bakgalagadi women who worked far away from home hence the need to also give back to the place where they originate from.

She said the foundation brought them closer together and provided a pedestal for them to connect with each other at all times.

She called on the hospital to take good care of the blankets so that they could last for longer periods.

Receiving the blankets, Tsabong Primary Hospital representative, Mr Sonnyboy Tshoswane appreciated the Deserteez Foundation for meeting the blanket needs of the hospital in a timely way.

He said since the global recession hit, government had over the years encountered budget constraints hence they had to work with stringent budget.

Thus, he said the blanket donation would go a long way in meeting their needs and finances that could have been used to procure blankets for the hospital.

Furthemore, Mr Tshoswane noted that Kgalagadi region had extreme weather conditions with long winter season, adding that the blankets donation would assist the hospital personnel even in terms of improving their service delivery.

He said Tsabong Primary Hospital had 34 beds and government was in the process of refurbishing it to make a 64 bed facility in order to improve service delivery. ENDS