Baitshepi Social Club (BSC), a newly established club exclusively for journalists recently donated sanitary pads, clothes and toiletries to the less privileged students of Matsheng Community Junior Secondary School in Sojwe Village. This donation was in collaboration with BOPEU and Cycle 4 life cycling club respectively.
The school, located at least 123 km from Molepolole consists of 767 students in total and 433 them are girls. 299 of the 433 girls are boarders and the remaining 144 are day scholars.
This kind and noble gesture has been viewed as part of a bigger vision and commitment to lend a helping hand anywhere possible to ensure Botswana is a better place for all. This generosity is however in cognizance of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals No.1, 3 and 4 which are to end poverty, to gain good health and well-being and also quality education for all.
For a few years now, the world has been on an ‘End Period Poverty’ campaign as a way of keeping the girl child in school. Botswana has not been left behind and is doing its part of the campaign to ensure girl students do not miss out on gaining education due to lack of sanitary pads. As small as the initiative may seem one pad surely can save a future.
Sadly, many places within the country with a small of population are not covered while the communities visible on the map receive a quicker aid. This is where this BSC initiative came in to rescue those in settlements who are hardly seen or heard off.
“I for one was not aware of this place, had somebody said Matsheng I would have thought of a school in Tswapong because there are a lot of places in Botswana which we are not aware of. And those places need more aid then most places being offered support. This whole exercise showed me that we need to wake up as a nation and be our brother’s keepers regardless of one’s career path. It is painful to hear stories that some children miss out on examinations just because they do not have sanitary pads and worst part they can even abandon school completely and never return due to lack,” explained BSC Secretary Lucretia Chima.
“We went beyond and did not only donate sanitary pads but included socks, underwear and clothes, a simple thing like underwear to these students is a luxury. It is really painful being told that in this cold the children do not have warm clothes while back home I have more than enough winter clothes and some I do not wear. We gathered quite a number of good quality clothes which will go a long way in helping those kids even for those back home,” she explained.
Chima however highlighted that, they are going back to the drawing board to see how they can improve their aid towards Matsheng students and eventually extend to the community of Sojwe.
“Our next mission is to provide them with educational materials of all kind mostly books because most of the kids cannot read yet they are in junior level. We intend to bring motivational speakers to keep recharging them and show them the is a bigger world out there and that education can offer them so much more. Lastly, we are planning to host a Christmas party for them,” she adds.
Chima sighted that Journalists are part of the society and they are not immune to offering help, highlighting that our country needs more than stories but also helping hands. She further went on to encourage those in the some field not to just be in the fore front to spell out things then folding arms after awards.
“As journalists and media personalities we are agenda setters and we are the eyes and mouths for those who cannot speak for themselves. We stand as a link between the administrators, those in power and high position and the public. As we move about covering stories we see a lot of disheartening situations across our country and we just ignore and leave it to the government to offer aid to every situation currently on-going in our country. We realised that our story telling does not really offer significant aid and more can be done from our side,” Chima states.
Speaking on behalf of the female students, Vice President of the SRC, Kemarata Chabaesele extended her heart felt appreciation to BSC, cycle 4life and BOPEU for their kind gesture of seeing them worthy to be offered such donations.
“We are beyond delighted as Matsheng CJSS students to be remembered like this. What you donated is surely what we really need and you have somehow met our needs. May your generosity go a long way and reach others well. Thank you very much,” she said.
