Mental health services go online
Alleged misuse of party funds by the President He has erratic and dictatorial tendencies – Mogatle
First-Aid Counseling, one of the Botswana Innovation Fund winners, will soon launch Botswana’s first digital mental health platform that will help people to access mental health services, instantly and conveniently with 100 percent anonymity.
This is the brainchild of Kesego Mosime, an Economist by profession and his partner Shathiso Letsholo who is a Social Worker and Counsellor by profession. Their concern has been that Botswana has a modest population of less than 2.5 million people, but approximately 296 650 people fail to access counselling services on a monthly basis.
Even those that are able to access counselling services wait for one to 14 days, the quickest being from private counsellors that come at a high cost.
According to Marketing and Public Relations Officer Changu Mbuso, there have been several Gender Based Violence (GBV) campaigns taking place around the country by various stakeholders following a worrying spike in statistics of incidents as a result of Covid-19. Their innovation acknowledges that the Covid-19 pandemic has been a great contributor to the rise in GBV cases because of imposed lockdowns that forced many to spend unusually longer periods at home. Other societal pressures and challenges including loss of jobs have also led to an immediate need for mental health solutions. The First-Aid Counselling innovation is an effort to augment already existing efforts established to counter GBV and provide interventions for mental health issues by developing a mobile application called Sarrender that hosts anonymous peer-topeer support groups.
It also allows those affected by GBV to share their experiences, interact and to learn from each other anonymously. The support groups will also be structured according to different mental health issues or topics. According to CEO Mosime, this platform is affordable and allows users to access it with as little as P3 against the market rate for accessing counselling from a professional of around P200 for an hour. What he treasures the most is that all this would be done in the comfort of the user’s private space, and with total anonymity. FirstAid Counselling will also launch a campaign themed ‘The Power of My Voice’ aimed at working hand in hand with the digital platform. Mbuso adds that the goal is to encourage victims of GBV and mental health issues to open up about their daily challenges without fear of prejudice, and eventually find healing.
Perpetrators of GBV will also be given support as a way of rehabilitating them and engaging with them in order to address the root causes of GBV. First-Aid Counselling provides other services including educational content that educates people on mental health issues.
It also has a self-help function that provides content on counselling that would be instrumental to those needing support dealing with mental health issues. Mbuso says another service is the diary, a journal feature that allows users to write down their mental health journey, experiences, pain and things that make them happy. Other services include tasks that promote good mental health, activities that enable one to check their mental health status, short message subscriptions sent via SMS to encourage and motivate the user.
First-Aid Counseling is an awardwinning digital mental health platform (Botswana Innovation Fund Winners 2020 and Winners of the Botswana SAIS BoostUp Pitch Competition. They are also Africa’s first instant mental health platform.
They have a combined experience of over 100 years.
Botswana Peoples’ Party (BPP) President, Motlatsi Molapisi may live to regret his decision to expel the party Secretary General, Venter Galetshabiwe and the former party Vice President, Joseph Mogatle.
His critics contemplate several options including suspending him from the party; appealing the expulsion of the two or taking the legal route. Galetshabiwe and Mogatle were expelled last week after a conflictual Central Committee meeting in Francistown.
When Molapisi - with the support of four members - refused to back down from taking action against Galetshabiwe and Mogatle, the other four members walked out leaving him (Molapisi) and his supporters who then went ahead and expelled the two cadres.
Apparently, when the president summoned the Central Committee to last week’s meeting, committee members expected a report from the president on Galetshabiwe’s suspension and Mogatle’s fate. “The constitution gives the president the powers to only suspend a member for a period of 45 days. At the meeting, we made it known that we did not agree with our leader and finally walked out when he remained adamant claiming powers that he does not have. “Our objection was centred on the fact that Galetshabiwe had not been given a disciplinary hearing. As Central Committee, we wanted to establish a disciplinary committee which would make recommendations to us as the committee after investigating the matters,” a member of the Central Committee said. The member pleaded for anonymity as a condition for speaking to The Midweek Sun about the meeting. Galetshabiwe’s expulsion from the party follows his suspension in November last year on charges of indiscipline after he called a meeting of the Central Committee without authorisation from the party president. His expulsion last week resulted from his continued criticism of the party leader while he was still serving his suspension. Following Galetshabiwe’s suspension, Mogatle then took it upon himself to communicate his disapproval of the party disciplinary action against Galetshabiwe by text messages to the president, casting aspersions on the president’s leadership style. In the text messages, Mogatle also alleged misuse of party funds by Molapisi. Galetshabiwe and Mogatle have since been replaced. Some in the party leadership are of the view that Molapisi should go. “I personally agree with those who think action should be taken against the party president for acting unilaterally in the suspension of the two party cadres. His adamant behaviour at the meeting, claiming he has executive powers, is unacceptable. The party constitution does not give him the powers he claims he has,” president of the BPP Youth League, Thatayaone Ntwaetsile, said. Galetshabiwe on the other hand insists that his expulsion was illegal as it was unconstitutional. “I will appeal to the Central Committee to reconvene on this matter,” said Galetshabiwe, who believes Molapisi is driven by hatred. “Besides, he does not want a proper hearing where I will have the platform to speak because he knows I would spill the beans,” added Galetshabiwe, who revealed that Molapisi owes the BPP some money. An unrepentant Mogatle also wants BPP members to demand of the leader to uphold the party constitution. “The problem with us as BPP is that we have for a long time tolerated Molapisi’s erratic and dictatorial tendencies,” said Mogatle who is considering legal redress.
The Acting Secretary General, James Kaisara insists that both Galetshabiwe and Mogatle’s suspensions were in order as the party Code of Conduct prescribes expulsions for gross actions that cast doubt on the party leadership. “They sent messages to NEC which sought to rebel against the president,” said Kaisara who denies that there was a walkout. “Both the Central Committee and NEC have endorsed the suspensions,” maintained Kaisara in an interview.
As a child growing up in the era of HIV/AIDS devastation in Botswana, Kelebogile Champane, popularly known as Kelly Champane, made it her life-long mission to be a doctor so that she could serve her country.
Speaking to The Midweek Sun this week ahead of the launch of her integrated health centre, Premium Health in Gaborone, Champane, who has a passion for public health, said serving Batswana has always been at the heart of her work as a medical doctor.
Premium Health is the first-of-itskind facility in Botswana – it boasts a medical centre, beauty parlour, and café and lounge for clients.
The 33-year-old woman hails from Mahalapye but was raised in Francistown
where she completed secondary school at Mater Spei College. She holds a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) from Monash University in Australia. She also has postgraduate qualifications in aesthetics medicine, dermatology, psychology and drug and alcohol abuse management and is currently pursuing her PHD in Public Health. She was raised by a single mother, Daphne Phemelo Champane, after her father passed on when she was just three-years-old. Her mother instilled in her and her three siblings, the value of education and putting God first in everything.
Champane is a slayer of note who boasts a legion of followers on social media. She uses her classy fashion sense and taste for the finer things in life to motivate others to work hard.
Champane is engaged to be married to her high school sweetheart. The two fell in love when they were starry eyed teenagers at Mater Spei, and their love is still burning like a prima stove. Champane, who has been in Australia for nearly 11 years, has permanently returned home and is ready to shake things up in the health fraternity. Although she would not be drawn into discussing the local public health system, she said she remained committed to serving her country.
“My calling is to serve and the main reason I returned back home after nearly a decade, was to serve my people. I believe there is room for transformation and if God leads me to public office in the future, I will gladly accept the responsibility”.