The Botswana Society for The Deaf, a non-profit organisation mandated to empower and promote the interests and welfare for the deaf in Botswana will be hosting a fundraising Patron’s dinner on November 6th, at Maharaja Restaurant & Conference Centre.
“Our main mission as an organisation is to advocate for the right of the Deaf population in Botswana, educate and empower the socially and economically disadvantaged, and to provide facilities for use by deaf individuals,” emphasised spokesperson for Botswana Society for the Deaf, Lorato Marope.
She went on to say that they investigate incidences of deafness through the assistance of audiologists and promote equal opportunities and access to services provided in Botswana. “All funds raised will be contributed towards the construction of a hostel at Ramotswa Centre for the Deaf Education. The newly proposed hostel block is meant to accommodate children in Standard 1, 2 and 3, exclusively,” said Marope.
This initiative came about after BSD realised that the boys and girls hostels were overcrowded and thus pose a health hazard and an impediment to their social development. In addition to that, the Centre receives more enrolments on an annual basis, resulting in hostels being continuously overcrowded.
“The project follows the past successful 2013 Patron’s dinner where some building bricks were purchased for the construction of a hostel at the same centre. This year’s dinner aspires to raise more funds towards the same project whose estimated cost is P1.1Million,” Marope says.
The tickets for the BSD Patrons Dinner cost P10 000 for a table of ten people, or P1 000 for each person. One may also pledge building material or any kind of donation towards the initiative.