Okavango vulnerable children enjoy worldclass safari adventure
Bana-ba-letsatsi were this past weekend treated to a lifetime safari adventure at Dinaka Safari Camp just outside Central Kgalagadi Game Reserve (CKGR).
At least 15 boys from the vulnerable children school got a generous donation from the camp operator, Ker & Downey Botswana, to enjoy a world-class safari experience and learn more about wildlife and nature.
“Our marketing department was the one spearheading the programme. We have realised that Bana-ba-letsatsi do not only need financial assistance but are also interested in adventure and nature,” explained a training manager at Ker & Downey, Thuso Rasegojwa.
Bana-ba-letsatsi is a Non-governmental Organisation that takes care of orphans and vulnerable children. Currently the organisation has around 250 children under its care aged between 1 and 18 years.
“Some of them have shown great interest and love for wildlife and that kind of safari, maybe because we were instilling that in them; company guides would share and teach the kids about wildlife and even helped them form a wildlife club and started taking them to camps. Whenever we get a chance, we bring them to camps to experience them and we believe by doing so they can make informed decisions career-wise, not that we force them to love what we do, we are only giving them exposure,” further explained Rasegojwa.
High chances are that many of the children, if not all, would not have experienced the kind of adventure if it were not for the generous donation since the rates for the rooms at Dinaka range from around USD 730 to USD 1 470 per person per night.
“It is an experience of a lifetime and we give them the same top notch service we give to all our paying guests. This is an annual event through which we take the kids out on a rotational basis,” added Rasegojwa.
Bana-ba-letsatsi was established in 2004 and Ker & Downey have since adopted it. It operates a rehabilitation centre that offers support in terms of counselling, education, meals, clothes, transport and education among others.
“Some of the children have never been to school, some are dropouts and we have to find a way to prepare them and take them back to class while some are from abusive homes or less privileged households,” explained the NGO’S Executive Director, Taboka Rotsi.
Rotsi, who is a professional counsellor and social worker, added that challenges faced by these children are many including lack of parental care, and the institute works as a cushion and support system for them.
“Some have grown up to become independent and responsible adults. They do come in to motivate the little ones sometimes,” said Rotsi.