Gunners Host Wellness Day

FREDERICK KEBADIRETSE
Staff Writer | Monday April 19, 2010 00:00

 

The walk ended at the stadium where aerobics classes were conducted for members of the community in the action-packed social responsibility programme of 'Ezimnyama.'

Health personnel were on hand to conduct tests for blood pressure, blood sugar levels and HIV that went with counselling while people also weighed in for thier Body Mass Index (BMI). In an interview, Gunners official Mathews Tlhalerwa said they had organised such an initiative after realising that many people in Lobatse and around the country tended to neglect issues of health and wellness.

As a result, they ended up suffering from diseases they might have prevented by a regular check on their health and wellness. 'We therefore want to play our role in the community by spreading the message of health and wellness through initiatives such as this one,' Tlhalerwa said.

The Director of Sports and Recreation, Falcon Sedimo, applauded Gunners for showing that they were not limited to soccer but were responsible members of the community leading the way in wellness matters.

'We want other institutions to copy what is being done by Gunners today so that we can be a 'compassionate, just and caring nation' by 2016,' Sedimo said, quoting one of the seven pillars of Vision 2016.

He called on the youth to be disciplined and to desist from indulging in drug and substance abuse, which could ruin their future. He appealed to young people to participate actively in sports and recreation in order to limit idle time in which they could be tempted to go astray.

Gunners' Coach Daniel 'Chicco' Nare said as the face of Lobatse, Gunners played a very crucial role in educating the community on various matters, including wellness. 'The players here are role models,' he said. 'They are leading the activities today so that you as their supporters and the community at large may copy and do what they are doing in this wellness initiative.'  He also encouraged his players to exercise the highest levels of discipline because many in society envied them.

Nare urged people to take the opportunity to test for diseases in order to keep good check of their health status. The events were organised in collaboration with the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture while the theme of the day was Young, Gifted and Inspired: Setlhopha Se Se Maikarabelo.

Various youth organisations were represented on a day full of much entertainment.

The Diamond and Narcotics Squad of the Botswana Police Service made a presentation on drug abuse and had a stall in which various drugs used by abusers were on display.