Peermont Hotels Casinos Convention Resorts Botswana staff made a positive difference to bed-ridden children at the Princess Marina Hospital Paediatric Ward by donating toys, foodstuffs and a variety of goodies on Christmas Day. What sets the Peermont Group bonhomie apart from Christmas donations from other benevolent corporate citizens was the scheduling to coincide with December 25, 2012. It has become customary practice in Botswana for philanthropists to make Christmas donations during the festive season preferably before the beginning of the end-of-year vacation beginning around mid-December. By Christmas Day, there exists an aura of want, desperation and depression among the majority of the beneficiaries who would long have squandered the presents.
According to Peermont Botswana Sales & Marketing Manager, Jillian Blackbeard, “The Princess Marina children’s Ward donation on Christmas Day marks the beginning of a new dimension in our corporate social investment comprising a compassionate gesture towards hospitalized patients, especially children. We as a Group have committed the Christmas donations as an annual event. In 2013, we will include the Francistown Nyangabwe Referral Hospital patients as a way of sharing part of the profits we earn with Batswana. There is also scope in extending the gesture to other healthcare institutions, funds permitting.”
Blackbeard, who went the extra mile by bringing her son as a symbolic gesture for the hospitalized children, was accompanied by the Peermont Group Operations Manager and Father Christmas, Shaun Bird, and Marketing Assistant, Lorato Kopolo.
The children cherished the toys, and enjoyed the foodstuffs, fruits and beverages in a most cordial environment, a far cry from routine medical check-ups.
Princess Marina Paediatric Surgical Ward Nursing Sister Doreen Boitshepo Tumaeletse said there was a surplus of toys and foodstuffs because only 22 children were admitted at the time of the donation. The positive effect on children from the remote areas who enjoyed fewer visits, due to the long distances parents have to travel to get to Gaborone, need no overemphasis.
“We commend the Peermont Group for the generous donation on Christmas Day, which also enhances nurse/patient attitude and motivation. During this time the number of patients is low because there are no new admissions and the available space is reserved for treatment and emergencies. However, the patients’ ratio will invariably increase during the resume of normal business in the New Year,” said Tumaeletse.
Blackbeard said that through year’s end, beginning from December 22, the Peermont Group organised a number of special events spilling into the New Year.
Particularly anticipated is the January 26 opening of the Oriental delicatessen, Baisheng Restaurant pre-launched to showcase the tantalizing Chinese cuisine, food and terrific ambience.
When fully operational, Baisheng Restaurant has the business potential to bring diversified clientele with a taste for Oriental dishes.
Along with the culinary delights, the Grand Palm Hotel hosted the Gaborone-based Helen O’Graidys Drama School who conducted a Children’s Holiday Camp with a drama workshop that was open to children and members of the public. In addition, the Kids Club hosted play ball skills experiences for the hotel’s residents. Due to overwhelming demand, the Club has accepted to host children’s events during school holidays, she said.
Full bookings for the Christmas and New Year special dinners where guest enjoyed the exotic and traditional dishes, have shown that the majority of Batswana prefer to spend the festive season in Gaborone, rather than at the lands or cattle posts. This augurs well for the Group’s bottom line.
“On the cards is the upcoming 5 Star Camelot Beauty Spar. We are fighting for it to be upgraded to a Danesi Coffee Restaurant with a much larger, improved and cosmopolitan children’s play centre.
The next move is to renovate and improve coffee boiler and playfields adjacent to the Porta Cabins donated to Botswana Police.
“We look forward to a successful year with the official openings of the new kids on the bloc,” Blackbeard said.
