11 Oct 2025

Betway Cares Foundation recently donated P2.5 million to Botswana Gender Based Violence Centre (BGBVC) in Francistown for construction of a shelter for gender-based violence survivors.

BGBVC chief executive officer Ms Lorato Moalusi described the donation as a significant boost in the fight against GBV in the region.

“We accept this support with deep humility, but also with great responsibility. We pledge to use it wisely, efficiently and transparently and ensure that every Pula contributes directly to the safety and restoration of those in need,” she during the donation handover on Tuesday.

Ms Moaulsi added that the donation sent a clear message that survivors of violence were not alone, that their dignity mattered and the nation refused to accept violence as part of the society.

She noted that the centre was faced with the painful situation of limited safe spaces for survivors to heal and rebuild their lives, pointing that the donation would close that critical gap.

She said the centre was working with local authorities to identify and secure a suitable site for construction of the shelter.

She said the centre would begin construction without delay once the land was secured, so that survivors could benefit from the facility as soon as possible.

She explained that the shelter would not just be a building, but a place of hope, healing and second chances.

Betway Cares Foundation country manager, Ms Michelle France-Mabiletsa emphasised that the donation was a commitment to create a Botswana where every person, especially women and children, could live in dignity and free from fear and violence.

Ms France-Mabiletsa said the fight against GBV called for collaborative effort, noting that Betway Cares was more than an entertainment company but an integral part of the community it served.

“We must speak frankly about a crisis that continues to steal the futures of too many Batswana. The statistics on GBV in our nation are not just numbers, they represent shattered lives, trauma and dreams unjustly deferred,” she said.

On one hand, she indicated that courageous survivors who broke the cycle of abuse often found themselves with nowhere to go and no safe port in the storm, hence the shortage of safe accommodation was a critical gap that the centre attempted to fill.

Additionally, she said Betway Cares Foundation found it fit to step forward, given its mandate to empower communities and invest in sustainable development. She said the shelter would offer a place of safety, healing and rebuilding.

 “We want this shelter to be a symbol that when darkness descends, there is a place, a community and a partner ready to headlight the way forward.” ENDS