Botswana: Mpho Gouws has received Christmas gifts from the South Region in Botswana. The organisation called it “generous act” and said that the gift brought joy and warmth during the festive season.
The gifts included a 14kg washing machine, a laptop, a Wi-Fi router, a smartphone, clothing, bedding, a 5000-litre water tank and one thousand pula (P1000.00) as the pocket money. The gifts are worth twenty-eight thousand, seven hundred and seventy pula (P28, 770).
Mpho Gouws was also presented with a thoughtful array of gifts, including practical items for daily use.
Speaking during the handover session, Director Regional Operations-South, Acro News Maseko, said Mpho Gouws, who has just turned 20, is bedridden with a physical disability he acquired after falling from the stairs at Matsaakgang Primary School in Kanye in 2016 when doing standard 6.
He said Mpho, who is under the care of his mother and siblings in Moshana village, is on home-based care and pain medication as he has spinal paralysis or conversion disorder.
Maseko underscored that South Region has taken a deliberate and noble decision to offer corporate social responsibility by providing sustainable care for his needs and welfare through a Charity Trust Fund. He revealed that while the Region is presently in the process of establishing a Trust Fund for Mpho, School Heads, teachers, learners and regional staff are currently making contributions to this cause.
Maseko further highlighted that South Region has engaged all relevant stakeholders in the Region, such as BTU, BOPRITA, BOSETU, PTA, School Heads representation from Primary, Regional Management Team and School Head from Matsaakgang Primary School into establishing an organising committee that initiates programs and events to attend to Gouws’ welfare and equity, and in particular, facilitate the formation of the Trust Fund.
Maseko noted that the regional office has, on behalf of Mpho, made an application with Kanye Sub Land board for allocation of a residential plot at Moshana village, saying the intention is to construct a house for Mpho and, in future, assist him with an appropriate bed. He thanked Kanye District Council and DHMT for their continuous assistance in this regard.
On behalf of the Gouws family, Mpho’s sister, Jacqueline Gouws, thanked the South region for reviving their hope, saying it has not been easy for the family.