17 May 2022

 Companies doing business in Khwai village have been urged to come up with initiatives that can help to develop the village and create employment. 

North West District Council chairperson, who is also Khwai/Mababe councillor, Mr Kebareeditse Ntsogotlho made the call during the hand-over of a refurbished Khwai Pre-school to the community on Monday. African Bush Camps Foundation, a safari company operating in the village refurbished the school. 

The company painted the interior and exterior of the buildings, installed plumbing system, connected electricity, donated 40 chairs, ten tables, three piece kitchen unit, some utensils, four burner gas stove, a fridge and double sink, among others. Mr Ntsogotlho thanked the company for playing an active role in giving back to the community. He urged other companies doing business in the village, to follow suit. 

He raised concern that there were many safari companies operating in the village, but they were not ploughing back into the community except for a few. He urged the affected companies to revisit their plans and include initiatives that could contribute to the development of the village and improve the livelihoods of the community. 

He acknowledged African Bush Camps Foundation, Khwai Private and African Bushways for being instrumental in establishing the pre-school. The facility, he said would provide the children with basic early childhood education as well as facilitate improved livelihoods of some community members through provision of employment. 

North West regional education director, Ms Veronica Mochotli also commended all parties that played a role in establishing the school to provide children with education. 

Their efforts, she said, were in line with the ministry’s mandate of ensuring prompt delivery of quality education to learners from pre-primary school to tertiary level, irrespective of ethnic or social origin. In addition, Ms Mochotli said the Universal Declaration of Human Rights also emphasised the importance of education for children. 

Ms Mochotli further said that education was the most unique priceless inheritance one could give to a child and thanked private sector for coming on board, adding that government alone could not provide everything. She was happy to learn that the pre-school would also offer adult literacy classes in the evening, saying that would help improve literacy rate which she said stood at 93 per cent.

“This is a history in the making and your efforts are in line with the country’s transformation agenda of moving towards a knowledge based economy,” she added. Ms Mochotlhi pointed out that the North West district had been doing well in terms of partnership and community involvement. 

She cited the establishment of some satellite schools in various settlements to ensure children access education closer. The ministry, she said, did not have resources to establish reception classes in some villages and appreciated that through partnerships and community involvement, they managed to close gaps and started play-grounds which provided a strong learning foundation for children. 

She encouraged parents to use the pre-school by bringing children in large numbers. Khwai VDC chairperson, Mr Patrick Brown explained that the pre-school was a brainchild of Ms Sandra Rubins of Naletsana Foundation, who was touched by idling children due to lack of a school in the village. The VDC availed its old building to her to renovate and start a play-ground for children and as the numbers increased, Ms Rubins approached them again to request for another building in the same premises and they gave her the green. 

African Bush Camps Foundation community liaison and project coordinator, Mr Kehumile Marope stated that their company was committed to sustainable development through creating opportunities that empower communities they operate within. The foundation, he said focused had three focus areas namely, conservation, community work and education. hence their collaboration with Ms Rubins to ensure children access education. 

For her part, Ms Rubins thanked the village leadership and some safari companies for making her dream a reality. Her dream, she said was conceptualised four years ago when she was touched upon seeing children following their grandparents around as they were looking for work. ends