09 Oct 2019

The Poverty Eradication Programme has since inception in 2011, funded more than 37 672 beneficiaries, 21 515 of which are operational.

Speaking at the mass packaging of 118 poverty eradication beneficiaries at Mogorosi on October 8, the programme’s national Coordinator, Mr Montshiwa Montshiwa said the projects provided direct employment to about 32 985 Batswana.

He said the net effect of the interventions had been a gradual decline in national poverty levels as evidenced by the decrease from 30.6 per cent living below the poverty datum line in 2002/03 to 16.3 per cent in 2015/16.

Mr Montshiwa said over the same period, the proportion of people living in abject poverty declined from 23.4 to 5.8 per cent.

He said the findings by Statistics Botswana gave confidence that it was indeed possible to improve the lives of Batswana.

Since the inception of the programme, Mr Montshiwa said Serowe Administration Authority had funded 1 034 beneficiaries of which 328 were from Serowe South.

The sub- district currently has 992 beneficiaries awaiting funding, 15 of whom are from Mogorosi.

Mr Montshiwa said the packaging of the beneficiaries was demonstration of government’s commitment to eradicate abject poverty and such interventions were intended to facilitate improvement of the livelihoods of the beneficiaries.

With support from stakeholders, he said success was within reach and more beneficiaries would graduate.

 Mr Montshiwa said stated that some of the beneficiaries previously packaged were the ones supporting government’s efforts to assist others.

In Boteti for example, 76 goats were bought from someone previously packaged. He encouraged beneficiaries to regard take themselves as entrepreneurs and encouraged them not be disheartened by challenges they encounter for their success positively contributes to the country’s economy, through import substitution and also creating employment opportunities.

He said the projects needed to be nurtured for them to mature into sustainable income generating businesses.

Visible progress he said had been made in terms of coordination and implementation of the programme which included but not limited to community mobilisation, needs profiling, identification of projects, training, resource mobilisation, marketing as well as monitoring and evaluation.

 He urged the implementing institutions to make regular visits, to encourage and provide psycho- social support to the beneficiaries.

He also said beneficiaries should be supported in the marketing of their products.

Mr Montshiwa appealed to the community to do their part in supporting the beneficiaries by not only buying their products but also continuously encouraging them. ENDS