21 Nov 2019

Kgatleng assistant district commissioner has encouraged people living with disabilities to take advantage of various government programmes to uplift their lives.

Speaking at a disability awareness week in Leshibitse on November 19, Ms Lydia Keatlholetswe urged them to engage with relevant authorities so they can benefit from government initiatives.

She said people living with disabilities should be favoured when doing business with government provided all the necessary documentation satisfied laws and regulations.

That, Ms Keatlholetswe said could only happen if people living with disabilities were registered with relevant authorities so that their database was readily available in case of need.

“Hence, it is pertinent that people living with disabilities in Leshibitse have an organisation affiliated with Botswana Council for the Disabled (BCD) to ensure that they are not left behind in terms of developments and policies,” she said.

She further said such organisations were important as they linked people living with disabilities with government and also advised government in terms of policy development and programmes.

“We also have a District Disability Coordinating Committee, which encompasses various government departments of departments and is responsible for making sure that these departments include people living disabilities in their planning, infrastructure, among others,” she said.

Presenting statistics, she said in 2017, there were 90 000 people living with disabilities in Botswana and the numbers had since risen.

“This year’s theme; The Future is Accessible, reiterates the fact that anyone can access the future as it is available through various platforms and people living with disabilities are no different,” she said.

Ms Keatlholetswe encouraged people to view obstacles and challenges in a way that stimulated solution-orientated conversations.

“My wish is to see these talks grow into something tangible and not just us convening here every year just to talk, we have to do something,” she said.

Thus, she called upon Batswana to love and respect people living with disabilities so they also enjoyed their rights as citizens.

“We were all created in the image of God, as such we should treat one another with dignity, respect, love and understand that we have the same rights,” she said.

For her part, BCD programmes manager, Ms Dorcas Taukobong said their organisation was commemorating the International Day of People Living with Disabilities through disability awareness week, which was launched at Motswedi Rehabilitation Centre on Monday.

She said the disability awareness campaign would continue to villages such as Leshibitse, Artesia and Mookane as part of build-up activities to the main  commemoration to be held in Tsabong on December 5.

“Long gone are the days where families used to hide their children living with disabilities. We encourage you to take them along when you attend social gatherings,” she said.

Ms Taukobong added that as BCD, they were an umbrella for organisations that dealt with people living with disabilities and they had 31 organisations registered under them.

She implored Leshibitse residents to engage with BCD on registering an organisation to help fast-track and highlight issues affecting people living with disabilities in thevillage.

The BCD objective is to involve people living with disabilities in decision-making as much as they can so they do not feel left out and make sure that their rights are not being trampled on.

Ms Taukobong said people living with disabilities had a right to education, healthcare, business opportunities, shelter, dignity and prosperity, among others.

She also said it was important to make people living with disabilities feel accepted and also help them in accepting their debilities so as to live happier lives.

Ms Agisanyang Pitsane, who is visually impaired, said parents despite their disabilities.

“They deserve your love, care, respect, protection and understanding as much as the able-bodied children,” she said. Ends