Camphill Community Trust Bot50 Celebration A Thrill

Nnasaretha Kgamanyane | Monday September 12, 2016 15:30

The children treated the audience to a number of fun activities such as poetry recitals by children from Otse Disability Group and dance from Motse wa Badiri Training, Legodimo and Motse learners, Camphill Trust children and Rankoromane School with polka, and the scouts.  The learners later proceeded to VDC grounds for football games.

The guest speaker, Sekgabo Ramsay explained that it was dignifying for people with disabilities to be partaking in the Bot50 celebrations.

She said that there had been improvement in the way Batswana regard people with disabilities since their NGOs partnered with government.

“Human rights values have been entrenched in the partnership where both government and NGO want to see empowerment and participation of people with disabilities in society.,” she said. Ramsay added that discrimination of people with disabilities had thus gone down.  She said the society appreciates that people with disabilities could be in charge of their own fate and goals in life. She pointed out that the world had changed for people living with disabilities as human rights issues were at the top of the agenda.

“Botswana government signed the UN Conventions on the rights of persons with disabilities but it has not yet ratified the conventions. That means there is political will from the leadership of this country even though there is no commitment towards implementing the rules,” she said. Ramsay added this meant that the rights of people with disabilities would continue to be undermined by the society.  She stated that it was high time the country kept up to date with global changes by following the footsteps of the rest of the world.

“As Botswana turns 50 years we should have something to be proud about that is ratification of the conventions and its optional protocol,” she said. She added that the disability movement started in Botswana in the 1980s as some of the disability organisations got together with the Ministry of Health and of Education to start Botswana Council for the Disabled (BCD), formed to coordinate activities of the existing disability organisations as the mother body.  The council throughout its constitutional provisions ensured that all the existing organisations provided rehabilitation and vocational skills to members .

As a distinctive body, BCD ensured there was a criteria and standards guiding disability organisations to provide effective and efficient services.