Anti-Poverty Committee Gets Going

BABOKI KAYAWE
Staff Writer | Monday November 8, 2010 00:00

 

The committee is meant to ensure that the initiative attains its goals.

It will coordinate the contribution of all stakeholders in the implementation of the initiative.

The anti-poverty initiative is geared towards sustainable development and community empowerment.

It is based at the Office of the President (OP), which oversees the poverty eradication campaign.

It has a Community Service Day Initiative meant for cabinet ministers and public officers to get involved in delivering specific community projects to revive the spirit of compassion, care and partnership with communities across the country.

Presidential Affairs and Public Administration Minister, Lesego Motsumi said the initiative is in pursuit of the Vision 2016 pillar of a compassionate and caring nation. 

'It has been agreed that a day will be set aside every month for community service,' she said at the launch on Friday. She added that the initiative is exemplary as delivery is a concept that the administration of President Ian Khama is promoting, hence the need for leaders to have a prominent role. The programme seeks to encourage public service employees to go the extra mile to assist the community they serve. The launch started with a ground-breaking ceremony in Broadhurst, Extension 27 where a two bed-roomed house costing P128,000 will be built for the needy Levy Modipe.

The OP Corporate Social Responsibility Committee has already started raising funds for the cause.

Other means of raising the money include donations, selling food, beverages and other merchandise.

Besides housing, the initiative will employ other means of giving back to disadvantaged members of the community. Community Service Day Initiative came after the inaugural Pitso for eradication of poverty held in Mahalapye recently at which Khama committed to poverty eradication and economic diversification.

He stated that the two are interrelated because poverty eradication is the goal and economic diversification is a primary means to achieve the goal of poverty eradication.

'We intend to use the purchasing power of the country currently estimated to be over P20 billion per annum to support the growth of entrepreneurship and innovation of local enterprises,' he said.