Kgosiemang To Donate Clothes
Ookeditse Malesela | Monday March 4, 2019 13:50
His #25for25Children’s Campaign aims at assisting Otse’s underprivileged children.
Through the campaign he collects used clothes still in good condition from members of the community, which are then washed, and ironed, and then given to the children.
Kgosiemang indicated that on March 23, he will be with his friends at home washing all the clothes under a relaxed atmosphere. “My mother will be cooking for them, I will provide drinks and we will complete our task of washing, pressing and preparing the clothes for the day I will be donating them on March 30,” he indicated.
“I chose this day as it will be a weekend. I believe recipients will be available, as there will be no school on the Saturday. A majority of them are still learners in primary and secondary school level,” Kgosiemang said. Kgosiemang said the Vision 2016 pillar of a “Just and Caring Nation” inspired him.He said he still adheres to that pillar as it helps him recognise his role as a young person to developing and helping other people.
“I believe as young people we can make a difference in the societies we live in. This country needs us to take it forward. We must start now, and if we could all take part in volunteerism we can make Botswana a better and safer place,” he said.
Furthermore, he said he started getting involved in charitable works after realising that lot of children in Otse do not have clothes, shoes or even uniform. Some do not have jerseys for harsh weather conditions, or even during times of rain, he said.
“I realised some children put on torn uniform, some do not even have school shoes. I started it in October 2018.
It started as a dream, something that I’m passionate about and to date I have collected over 200 pieces of clothing. There are jerseys, t-shirts, trousers and jackets. Some people donated shoes while others gave me bags.
On top of that, some donors supported me with money to go around Gaborone collecting these clothes. I even travelled to Gakuto to collect donations from a few of my friends,” Kgosiemang said.
These children’s parents cannot afford much to buy their children what to wear. It’s really a heartbreaking situation to see a young child going to school on a chilly day without a jersey. That on its own will distract a child from learning, in the process affecting their studies.
Some schools in Otse have seen a decline in student’s performance, which is mainly attributed to these challenges of children having nothing to put on.
He added that, this again robs the child of their dignity while being in class with other children who have proper school uniform. “Some have clothes and that particular child does not have anything to wear.
The child now feels uncomfortable, they feel left out and that compromises their dignity. In essence the campaign strives to meet these children’s basic need of clothing, everyone is entitled to that right. Without clothes, depression kicks in.”
The founder said the name ‘25for25’ came about, as he will be turning 25-years-old this year. This led him to aspire to donate such clothes to 25 children in the village.
“There is no official sponsor for this initiative, but I am in talks with SaveRite Supermarket in Otse to assist us with food that I will be cooking for these children. Other than that, the support that I get is from my mother Shadi Kgosiemang and my sister,” he added.
“I therefore would like to encourage members of the community to assist me with more clothes that they have but are not using,” he said.
This campaign promotes a sense of giving amongst Batswana, Kgosiemang said. Botswana is well known to be supportive and compassionate toward its people.
“We are a culture that gives back to the less privileged. I strive to promote that element,” he said.