08 Dec 2022

The church has been called to raise awareness of Gender Based Violence (GBV) as the phenomenon has also reared its ugly head within its space.

Officiating at the Seventh Day Adventist Church, Botswana Union Women’s Ministries Conference in Maun on Wednesday, MP for Maun West, Mr Dumelang Saleshando stated that women empowerment could be one of the many tools that could be used to arrest GBV.

“It is imperative for churches to train women on basic life skills so that they could be economically self-reliant and not depend entirely on their male counterparts who oftentimes tend to be abusive,” he said.

He was concerned that GBV was one of the major problems in Botswana with the country being at the top of the global statistics on rape. Mr Saleshando indicated that empowering women to provide for themselves would make an impact on fighting GBV. “Let’s train women on basic skills by formulating aggressive programmes to uplift them economically so that they can have the option to leave abusive situations.’’

The lawmaker, therefore, challenged the church to make its voice heard on issues that qualified for a dignified life including GBV matters.

He also thanked the SDA church for holding the women’s conference in Maun, noting that the economic spin-offs derived from the meeting would inject life into the economy of Maun, especially the tourism industry that was recovering from the COVID-19 pinch.

In his remarks, the SDA Botswana Union president, Pastor Strike Ben stated that this year’s theme; Remember Calvary, We are Nearing Home, was a call to remember God’s love for creation.

He said Calvary symbolised God’s love as he sacrificed his own begotten son Jesus Christ so that his people would be saved.

Pastor Ben said the world was full of loveless doom, where people would rather spread hatred than love.

He reminded the congregants that the love of God was everlasting.

He implored people to love their neighbours as they loved themselves and continue to do good to make the world a better place.

Kgosi Gakemoeng Molaletsi of Goo-Seetso thanked SDA church for choosing Maun as their conference destination and invited them to enjoy the diverse cultures that Maun offered.

She advised the congregants to listen attentively to the messages and make an impact when they return to their respective homes.ENDS