WEANED FROM DRUGS BIRRO boot camp helped me stay Requisition ID: 704 away from drugs
Requisition ID: 685 DRIVER OPERATOR – TRUCK – GRP2/L2 Requisition ID: 686 TYRE FITTER ASSISTANT - X 6 Positions MINING ENGINEER – X 7 Positions Requisition ID: 682 BLASTING ASSISTANT – X 11 Positions Requisition ID: 695
Kgosi Tau, 25, who has been addicted to cocaine since 2014, appreciates the ongoing boot camp organised by Botswana Institute of Rehabilitation and Reintegration of Offenders (BIRRO), which started on 1st May 2021.
It all started when he was at Limkokwing University in 2014 when his peers offered him his first sniff of cocaine. Thereafter, he found himself depending on cocaine until the drug became his hope in life.
Tau recalls that he started misbehaving at home, disrespecting his family and rejecting any advice that they gave. He would spend between P1500 and P3000 per month to buy cocaine.
His family tried many ways to help him to leave the drug but to no avail. To date he has been registered three times with Sabrana Psychiatric Hospital between the years 2017 and 2021, and sought assistance from Botswana Substance Abuse Support (BOSANet) but nothing could help. The current BIRRO boot camp has helped him to change his mindset about life in general and how to live with people. He said the camp is helping him to detach from the drugs because among activities that occupy their time at the camp, they do physical training to keep fit, have character building lessons and listen to motivational talks. In addition, they sleep well and are encouraged to take a lot of water.
“I no longer have an idle mind. In the camp it is always busy. We are taught interpersonal skills and also how to live with people and also depend less on cocaine”,
DRIVER OPERATOR – FEL GRP3/L2 - X 3 Positions
MAINTENANCE ATTENDANT – X 15 Positions
Requisition ID: 707
Tau said.
He said the camp is helping him to find aDnewbspwuraponseainislifae caanmpinhechloupseisvtoesteaynavwiaryofnromneengattifvoe influences especially drug addicts.
He graduated in 2020 at Limkokwing UAnLivLersiPtyOwSithITanIAOssNocSiateADRegEreeFiOn Sound Engineering and plans to look for a job, while he operates a small business tPhaltewaillskeeepfohilmlobwusy.this
According to Chairperson of BIRRO, Mothei Sejakgomo, so far the boot camp hCasl onsliyn1g2mdaalesteag:ed1e4twMeena1r8cahnd 25 years. He said currently participants do physical exercises three times a day for them to keep focused and remain collected all the time.
So far only one young man escaped last week but the parents contacted the organisation to come and collect him back to the camp.
Sejakgomo said among other things, participants learn character building, to avoid friends that may lead them astray. They are also taught how to respect their families, and focus on improving their lives. Sejakgomo said there will be an official opening of the boot camp at the Bokaa main kgotla on a date to be communicated. He said the two-month boot camp will be rolled out to other parts of the country to help mould young people whose lives have been destroyed by drugs.
The organisation intends to look for partners to help it achieve its mandate and also build a better Botswana for all citizens.
Sejakgomo said that the organisation has decided to engage families of the participants in order to cultivate the spirit of forgiveness, reconciliation and acceptance immediately after the boot camp.