- BDF commander Placid Segokgo was Chief Walker
- Overarching aim is ending violence against children
GOSEGO MOTSUMI
In their continued quest to advocate for children and mobilise resources for the care and support of Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC), Masiela Trust Fund (MTF) successfully hosted a 10km walk styled “Bonang Bana” over the weekend.
To raise the profile of the event and to bring children’s issues to the national platform, the Chief Walker was the Commander of the Botswana Defence Force, Lieutenant General Placid Segokgo.
Unique needs
Bonang Bana is a child-focused strategy through which Masiela Trust Fund mounts a campaign for stakeholders to become aware of the unique needs of children and to participate in the drive to support and protect children.
“Even though it is never enough, we were able to achieve our mandate of raising funds and other resources needed to care for our children through the walk,” the Marketing Officer of MTF, Refilwe Lesolle, said in an interview.
“One of our sponsors was the Botswana Defence Force who contributed P60 000 and various other sponsors who made donations in the form of toiletries and blankets.”
Ending violence
Lesolle emphasised that all children are vulnerable and are exposed to various difficult circumstances. It is because of this that MTF decided to raise funds to cater for the immediate needs of the orphans and vulnerable children under the theme, Ending Violence Against Children.
“Children are still subjected to sexual abuse, lack of identification in the form of birth certificates and Omang, and the process to gain these documents gets harder as the children grow,” Lesolle noted.
“Even children who are not orphans face these challenges, which include human trafficking or smuggling.”
Glody Dube next year
She explained that they decided on BDF commander Segokgo as the chief walker because the organisation that he leads for is synonymous with protecting the nation.
“Next year we are planning to have a marathon where we will work with Glody Dube of Golden Door Sport Agency,” she disclosed. “The date and details will be shared as soon as they are confirmed.”
Masiela Trust Fund is a non-profit making organisation which was established by Government of Botswana in 2001 as a national response to the plight of orphans in Botswana.
The idea was to complement government and community initiatives in Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) care, support and protection.