06 Jun 2021

First Lady, Ms Neo Masisi has challenged women to explore their potential to improve their standard and quality of life.

Donating sewing machines to Mmathethe East and West Village Development Committees (VDC) on Friday, Ms Masisi implored women to be the best they could be in life.
She encouraged women to explore opportunities in life to ensure they reach their potential and optimise output in moving the country forward. She further implored the community to view women in a positive light.
The first lady equated women to diamonds, saying they were nation builders.

As such she lamented gender based violence against ‘such noble people’, pointing it as a stumbling block to their development.
She also condemned violence inflicted on children, saying such acts needed to be put to an end.
The First Lady said children needed to be nurtured to become the best they could be in life.  

Ms Masisi said she donated industrial sewing machines to Mmathethe East and West VDCs because her desire was to develop women, arguing that such a move was key to nation-building ,borrowing from a Setswana axiom; mosadi thari ya setshaba.
She said the sewing machines would go a long way in imparting skills to the youth, hence supporting the country’s skills development drive as well as changing the economic landscape of the villagers.

The donation, she said, was meant to ensure that Botswana moved forward in an all-inclusive approach, thus living up to Vision 2036 expectations in which the country envisages a transformational path from one level to the other, and in the process create broad prosperity for all.

She shared that the motive was also to encourage manufacturing among communities, which would in turn  result in employment creation.
Ms Masisi encouraged the youth to join VDCs and play a role in the country’s development, noting that they needed to digitise their developmental framework for philanthropists to possibly spot and partner with them in developmental projects.

Speaking at the same occasion, Member of Parliament for Mmathethe/Molapowabojang, Dr Edwin Dikoloti expressed gratitude towards such a noble gesture.
Dr Dikoloti, who is also the Minister of Health and Wellness, said those who did good for the nation deserved applause.

He said the donation would help the village to have its own and unique style in fashion, noting that communities should make a habit of generating income.
The area MP opined that the approximately 388 kilometre Mmathethe/Bray road due to be tar-macked would present business opportunities for Mmathethe residents, as tourists and truckers would use the village as a stopover to buy necessities.

For her part, Mmathethe West VDC chairperson, Ms Nanikie Mmereki thanked God for touching the First Lady to lend them a helping hand, noting that their life would never be the same again.

She said in most instances VDCs seemed invisible, but said it was encouraging that the First Lady noticed their efforts, a commendable deed.
Ms Mmereki assured the First Lady that the industrial sewing machines would be put to good use and that they would keep them safe as they were an investment of high value.

She said the machines would add value to the development agenda of the village and create employment opportunities for residents.
For her word, Mmathethe East VDC chairperson Ms Masego Baipidi said the donation was a turning point in the development history of the village.
She said the committees would, therefore, do everything in their power to optimise output to better the lives of the villagers.
She promised the First Lady that she would design a German print gown for her as a token of appreciation for the noble gesture and the time she invested in them.  ends