Ditshupo to raise funds for Lechana clinic
Koketso Kgoboge | Friday December 22, 2017 11:42
The hamlet is located on the outskirts of Palapye, some 25 kilometres along the A1 road to Francistown. The current medical facility is a one-roomed traditional house built from clay bricks. Lechana has a population of less than 1,000 people and is serviced by a mobile clinic.
The residents of Lechana have to travel to Palapye or Topisi to access medical facilities. The clinic has been built and maintained by the community elders since some 30 years ago to house the nurses on their visits.
Ditshupo and his team of organisers want to build a two roomed facility at the clinic’s compound.
Ditshupo said he wishes one day Lechana would have a clinic that will help not only the villagers there, but also all Batswana from different walks of life.
“The clinic is just along the road and it could service people who travel along the A1 road and save many lives. It is my wish that one day there will be a fully operational clinic in that area,” he said.
“I call on everyone to contribute anything that could help us build this dream for the people of Lechana and the whole nation of Botswana.”
According to the spokesperson of the organising committee, Kgalalelo Gabaleswe the clinic is about to close because it is not habitable and they wish to act swiftly before the facility is condemned. “We wish to break ground sometime at the beginning of the year and we hope to conclude the facility before end of 2018,” she said.
“Travelling is a problem for the elders in Lechana and we hope that with a better health facility, maybe we could get atleast a nurse assigned to it and that would make a huge difference for the people of Lechana.”
The committee will try and raise funds through the first Maano Ditshupo soccer tournament. The competition will be held at Lechana from December 23 and the finals will be played on December 31. Ten teams from Lechana, Topisi, Dikabeya, Moreomabele, Serowe and Shalakwe will compete. To spice up the event, Orapa United stand-in coach Daniel Nare will be one of the guests at the tournament.
“We have a few individuals who have been kind but we are still far off the target and we wish Batswana can come on board and help Maano (Ditshupo) realise this important dream.”
In Palapye, Master Goya soccer extravaganza will be celebrating 10 years. The tournament is sponsored to the tune of P150,000. It features 40 teams of Palapye and its periphery, with 19 teams competing in Palapye and the winner walks away P10,000 richer.
Seven teams will battle out in the Makoro edition, six teams in Dikabeya and the other four teams in the Sajwe edition. The winner for this edition bags P3,000 each. The games start on December 23 and the finals will be played on December 30. All the finals will be played in Makoro where a 10-year anniversary celebration will be held after the games.
The tournament will also recognise all those who have been instrumental in the past 10 years. The 10 individuals will receive cash prizes.