28 Jan 2014

Bomme Ba Thapelo Association in Borolong, near Francistown, has been urged to liaise with the Department of Social and Community Development, when it is undertaking projects aimed at helping the needy.

Speaking at the handing over of a one-roomed house worth P10 000 built by the association on January 25, Kgosi Israel Molema of Borolong said many good deeds went unnoticed.

Kgosi Molema said this was because people did not engage relevant authorities, thus it was important for those intending to help those in need to network with authorities so that there could be partnership.

He noted that when President Lt Gen. Seretse Khama Ian Khama called for capable Batswana to help those in need, he was asking for partnerships between service providers and the community so that they could be sharing of resource that would enable a good number of people to benefit.

He praised the association for heeding President Khama’s plea for assistance to help underprivileged Batswana. Kgosi Molema said it was imperative for them to liaise with other stakeholders so they could add to what the association raised to do something bigger.

He noted that because there were many people in need of help, partnership with the Department of Social and Community Development would also help reduce complaints that might arise with some people thinking the group was only targeting a certain area only.

Ms Kamogelo Morotsi, the social welfare officer, commended the association for helping those that do not have the capabilities. She explained that although the council was funded to build houses for needy people, it was not always easy to cover all the people on its list as funds were not enough.

Ms Morotsi said with the help her department received from organisations such as Bomme Ba Thapelo Association, her office was able to reach out to a good number of beneficiaries, hence restoring the dignity of many people in a short time.

The beneficiary, Ms Kebadiretse Mokalake, praised her colleagues as she was also a member of the association but has not been able to attend to other projects they have done for other people because of ill health.

She said the gesture came at a time when she had given up hope of ever having such a house because she did not have the capabilities although she had a dream of owning one. Furthermore, she implored her colleagues to look at other people in need of help so that they could extend such a gesture to them as well. ENDS