PELEGANO DAY CARE CENTRE APPEALS FOR DONATIONS Pelegano Day Care Centre based in Makaleng in the North East District is desperately in need of donors. The centre, which was established in February 1999 and was officially opened in June 2003, is a non-governmental organisation (NGO), which catered for 24 clients of which 18 are regular. These clients are People Living with Disabilities (PLWDs), orphans, pensioners and sick people. They are transported to and from their homes to the centre five days a week. The centre provides them with breakfast, lunch and supper, as well as HIV counseling. They are also given a chance to be creative by designing products from waste materials. In an interview with the coordinator of the centre, Ms Maureen Magole who is a retired teacher said they benefited from Nyangabwe Lions Club and Global Fund between 2003 and 2009 respectively.The two organisations, she said donated a porta cabin, a vehicle, food hampers, and funds which were used to build a shelter. They also provided them with testing and counseling trainees, two security guards, an administration officer and a driver. Ms Magole said since 2009, the future of the centre has become bleak because of lack of funds, a situation which has resulted in many volunteers leaving the centre and forcing the coordinator to operate as a driver and counselor at the same time. Furthermore, she said the situation has worsened because they were unable to feed their clients and sometimes they use their own money to buy them food. They have no funds to purchase fuel for the vehicle to perform their daily duties. Ms Magole said the centre belongs to the community and it was really painful to see clients going back home hungry without any support from the centre. Currently, she said the centre conducts outreach counseling and testing in villages such as Matenge, Makaleng, Toteng, Botalaote and Sechele. The board chairperson of the centre, Mr Dintle Morakenyane also stressed that most people are unwilling to volunteer because their organisation cannot provide them with incentives.He said they faced acute shortage of trained personnel who can assist them in counseling sessions. The chairperson however applauded the Ministry of Health as well as Tebelopele Voluntary Counselling and Testing Centre for assisting them with testing kits and testing tents when they do outreach visits.Mr Morakenyane also requested the public to assist by building a house at the centre for one of their clients, a 72-year-old Mr Molato Mbakile who is visually impaired. He said Mr Mbakile needed to be taken care of at the centre because there is nobody who takes care of him at his homestead. Mr Morakenyane also praised Nyangabwe Lions Club for assisting them with food baskets every month and also thanked villagers who seasonally donate water melons and maize meal.A pensioner and a member of the centre, Ms Dikeledi Chakaboya called for support from the NGOs. She said Makaleng clinic has been assisting them with an ambulance to transport their clients. A volunteer driver, Mr Dominic Chingapane, who joined the organisation in 2013, said he felt for Ms Magole who was performing all the duties at the centre and saw it fit to assist her and the elderly. The assistance, he said was in line with Vision 2016 pillar of a compassionate, just and caring nation. (BOPA)
Posted on: Tue, 13 May 2014 12:10:00 +0000
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