BY PATIENCE LEPHOGOLE
Botswana Sport Volunteer Movement (SVM) in conjunction with Botswana National Sports Commission (BNSC) and the Botswana National Blood Transfusion Services will host a blood donation event on the 15th June, 2019. This will be held at the national stadium in Gaborone from 0900hours.
According to SVM chairperson Keenese Katisenge, this is part of their social responsibility initiative hence encouraging everyone who qualifies to donate blood to join in such a noble event. She said: “To qualify to donate one should be aged 16 to 65 years, have a weight of 50kg and should be in good health.”
“Volunteers are the backbone of sports in Botswana; they continue to selflessly contribute to the success of different associations and events in the country’s sports. We would therefore as the leadership of SVM like to extend this spirit of selflessness beyond sport to benefit the community in vital areas like blood donation which also in turn in a way benefits even the sport community,” she added.
Katisenge further revealed that the event will see SVM national executive committee members and those of the SVM regional committees together with volunteers, general public, sports people and BNSC donating and celebrating voluntary blood donors. She said: “This will also help raise awareness of the importance of regular blood donation.”
SVM public relations officer (PRO) Thato Matenge added that the event is part of their appreciation as SVM that they are part of a bigger community hence rendering their services in important aspects such as ensuring there is sufficient blood in the country. He said: “This will be our second major event as the new leadership of SVM following the Boxing Championship where we rendered our services.”
“One of our mandates is to build strategic relations for SVM and it will help us achieve that by bringing the Botswana National Blood Transfusion Services on a long term strategic partner. Our aim is also to be proactive as SVM in ensuring that we come up with initiatives for ourselves as opposed to only being a volunteer’s feeder to sports associations when they have events,” he added.
Moreover, Matenge revealed that the event will benefit sport. “It will attract more people from sport, helping with visibility and membership attraction area. Sports need volunteers from different fields, like medical, physiotherapists, events management to add on to the existing technical and general sports volunteers,” he added.
“Different sport associations have also been invited by the BNSC to be part of the event. There have been reports of shortage of blood in the country; we see it fit to give back to an area that is critical to our lives. We continue to be part of sporting events for associations around the country,” he added.
Asked on what SV will be up to in the next coming days, Matenge had this to say “There is an upcoming Botswana Cycling Association (BCA) event where our volunteers will be participating. WE also have a strategic meeting planned for the coming week. The new SVM leadership will be visiting regions around the country for introductions and appreciation of their working environments.”
