On Saturday 24th August 2013, the Rotary Club of Gaborone donated 1200 Long Lasting Impregnated Mosquito Nets (LLINs) to the Ngami District Health Team in Shorobe in line with the Ministry of Health’s drive to eradicate malaria in Botswana. The nets are to be distributed among the communities in Shorobe, Mababe, Khwai and Sankoyo villages. This delivery was made possible by the support of Stanbic Bank who became a staunch supporter of the project in 2011. Since then, Bifm and Steinmetz have also joined the Rotary Club of Gaborone in its effort to fight malaria.

                                    

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                  RTN SASHI JADDOO (L) AND PRESIDENT BARRY EVANS (R) DISPLAY A LLIN

 

 

The Kgosi of Shorobe Village, Mr. Molatedi Dingalo, the District Commissioner of Ngami District, the Department of Public Health represented by Mr. S.S. Mokgweetsinyana, the Ngami DHMT Head, Dr. C. Chembe, the President of the Rotary Club of Gaborone, Mr. Barry Evans, the Stanbic Bank Branch Manager, Mrs. Jane Hrusa, the Representative of BFIM, Mr. Bokete Mokgosito and Ms. G. Kedikilwe addressed the public on the issue of malaria.

In his speech, Mr. Mokgweetsinyana recalled that the Rotary Club joined the government’s effort to eradicate malaria back in 2010 when it launched the mass distribution of Long Lasting Impregnated Mosquito Nets (LLIN’s) in 2010 in Gweta. The government of Botswana has managed to reduce the incidence of malaria from 28.7 cases per 1000 population in 2001 to 0.15 cases per 1000 population in 2012. Efforts are still to be made in conducting active and passive case detection, notifying, investigating, listing and mapping all cases, deaths and infection. The Representative of the Department of Health said that approximately 170,000 nets are still needed for distribution in five districts suffering from malaria for 2013-2014.

Dr. Chembe gave an overview of malaria in the Ngami District which covers 86,000 km2 and is inhabited by 60,000 people. He said that there has been a decline in cases due to people being more careful and due to testing. But cases have started to rise in 2013. Malaria cases tend to go up during the rainy season and the most affected are the children under 5, pregnant women and the over 65 year olds. He added that the nets were not used efficiently. Some nets were still packed and had not been used and some nets had simply disappeared. He urged the population to make use of the nets as this will prevent them from catching malaria.

President Barry Evans of the Rotary Club of Gaborone was accompanied by Past President Mike Lakin and his spouse Elsie, Past President Nitin Jaddoo, Rotarian Sandra Stonehill and Chairperson of Community Services Rotarian Sashi Jaddoo. In his speech he provided a little background information on the objectives of Rotary and what the Club has achieved both internationally and locally. On a global level, in 1985 Rotary International committed itself to eradicate the Polio virus completely from the world. In Botswana the Club funded and worked with the Ministry of Health for this eradication. The contribution of the Club to the Botswana community has been immense. Since it first supplied a Braille typewriter to the Mochudi Resource Centre for the Blind in 1972, the Club has provided many organizations and individuals with books, blankets, groceries, furniture, over 500 wheelchairs, computers and communication equipment throughout Botswana. Examples of major projects undertaken by the Club are the refurbishment of Deborah Retief Memorial Hospital in Mochudi in the 1990s at a cost of over P 1.8 million, the building of the Kamagelo Day Care Centre in Mogoditshane in 2004 at a cost of over P 2.5 million, the Stepping Stones Institute in Mochudi at a cost of P1.5m and the Bana ba Keletso Orphans Day Care Centre which was completed at a total cost of P2.0m.

For the eradication of malaria project the Rotary Club of Gaborone sourced the funding for 1200 Long Lasting Impregnated Mosquito Nets (LLINs), and Stanbic Bank stepped forward and became the main sponsor. Contributions from Bifm and Steinmetz have also helped with the mosquito net project.

The Stanbic Branch Manager, Ms. Jane Hrusa said that the bank had a long history of corporate social service. Since 2011, Stanbic Bank has partnered with the Rotary Club of Gaborone in the fight against malaria. They have invested P100, 000 in the purchase of mosquito nets.

Mr. Bokete Mokgosito of Bifm also spoke during the launch ceremony. He stressed that his presence was to help defeat malaria.

The presence of the Rotary Club of Gaborone together with its partners, Stanbic, Bfim and Steinmetz during the launch of the distribution of mosquito nets shows its pledge and commitment to the Botswana Government through the Ministry of Health, to eradicate Malaria from this country by 2015.

 

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                                          PRESIDENT BARRY EVANS WITH THE FIRST RECIPIENT OF A LLIN IN SHOROBE