“IF YOU THINK YOU ARE TOO SMALL TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE, TRY SLEEPING IN A CLOSED ROOM WITH A MOSQUITO” AFRICAN PROVERB DEAR ALL This statement serves to inform all that after being part of such great fundraising success, I Lorraine Lionheart and Miss Mpho Pilane are formally concluding our involvement with the Abian Ntshabele fundraising campaign. We both feel the time has come for us to take a step back and give the family dignified space to deal with their ordeal, although we will continue offering moral support when needed to. Should the need for more urgent fund raising arise, we will without hesitation step up to assist again. We will play our part in wrapping up currently scheduled fundraising events. Information about various contact details will be made available. Funds are currently managed by Tiny Ntshabele, and she has informed me that she is the process of engaging a law firm in Botswana to assist with funds management. She will announce this properly herself when all has been legally agreed. I would kindly wish to share my story about what a journey it has been, with the hope that this can inspire another person and give them courage to play a similar or better role to what we played, in a cause of their choice If someone had told me when we started this campaign that I would be making this announcement today having achieved what we set out to achieve, I would have totally believed them because I personally wouldn’t have thrown myself in to something like this without faith. Faith in God, faith in humanity and faith in myself. On the 2nd December 2014 my best friend and sister Mpho Pilane who is a family friend to the Ntshabele’s, contacted me and told me about Abbie. As a friend of Tiny Ntshabele she wanted to help and asked me if I would consider getting involved. 2nd December happens to be my birthday and like most I am guilty of what may seem like pointless expression of excitement about such occasions on social media. I had decided on that day to share my birthday wish with the entire world and wrote on my fanpage “The journey is certainly the reward! My wish is for God to help Botswanas Bushmen, for God to use me in any means necessary for any cause and to help me be a better mother not only to my son.” I remember smiling a little after talking to Mpho, not only because I felt God may have just presented me with an opportunity to prove my wish was not just a facebook post, but also because I felt there was so much hope for Abbie. Like many of you the story gave me sleepless nights, and that was before even talking to a family I had never met or spoken to before. After talking to Abbie’s mother and further giving the situation more serious thought calculating how I could possibly make a difference, I knew it was a no brainer, I knew I would never forgive myself for walking away from someone who could clearly use my help. I considered the fact that I already had incomplete charitable initiatives which were just as important, and I considered the fact that in my experience as a musician, judgement and brutal criticism has previously been made against me when I have participated in good causes close to my heart. But the latter was insignificant as I felt participating in potentially saving a child’s life was a lot more important than what critics may make out to be my motive behind it. I felt that if I was not strong enough to handle negatives , then any involvement would mean gambling with a child’s life, so I needed to be absolutely sure I could do this, and not only be ready but trust in God to guide me. I kick started the campaign by appealing to thousands of people who follow my career online and contacting several media contacts for assistance with publicity. I also contacted every single person I could think of and literally stalked some of my friends. The difficulty of reaching people during the festive season did not at any point make me doubt that what we set out to do was achievable, but I had to quickly under immense pressure, learn to strike the balance between letting my passion and maternal emotional attachment to the situation drive me, and my need to emotionally detach myself from the situation in order to work professionally and make level headed decisions. As the campaign progressed, Mpho Pilane and I continued to have sleepless nights and occasionally having to manage with just a couple of hours sleep. Life as we both knew it had changed and as difficult as those early days were , we stayed strong knowing that whatever we were going through was nothing compared to what Abbie and her loved ones especially her mother were going through. Their strength was our source of inspiration and motivation along with our usual loving support for one another as sisters. I have not done any paid work since the campaign started but I have worked more hours on this than I usually do in my usual paid work, however It is impossible to put a price on the commitment we invested into raising funds for Abbie’s treatment. The sense of achievement we both felt when the target was met was absolutely priceless, one cannot buy that. I stand here today with absolutely no regrets and proud as can be to have been born and raised in Botswana. Even though I knew the appeal could gain the interest and support of the global community as it has, I specifically targeted Batswana more, from all over the world, and believed with all of my heart that they would not let a precious life of their own be lost due to lack of funds. I believe giving is within our DNA and it shouldn’t have to take extreme cases for that culture to be revived and I also strongly believe that it would be totally irresponsible for us as Batswana to completely be depended on the Government. I believe as much as our government has an economic responsibility towards us, we also owe it to ourselves to play our part in taking responsibility of our communities. “KGETSI YA TSIE E KGONWA KE GO TSHWARAGANELWA” This occasion is one of the very few times I have wished I wasn’t a musician because more than ever I wish to dedicate my life to empowering people to know that every single one of us can make a difference. Doing good is not a privilege for only the wealthy, the famous and powerful. If some people who have already lost their lives can continue to change the world through their legacies, why should I waste the blessing of being alive, feeling too small to make a difference? I got involved in this not because I am a musician, but because I am human. The role I played can be played by anyone reading this, maybe not in the manner that I did, but if you are determined to achieve the best results, you would find your own way of getting there. THE WAY YOU ALL RESPONDED TO ABBIE’S CRY HAS DEEPLY MOVED US, GIVEN US UNMEASURABLE HOPE AND REINFORCED SOME OF OUR MOST IMPORTANT LESSONS ABOUT LIFE AND LOVE. ALLOW US TO THANK YOU AND ENCOURAGE YOU TO KEEP LOVING. THE WORLD NEEDS MORE PEOPLE LIKE YOU. THANK YOU FOR BELIEVING IN US AND TRUSTING US TO SUCCESSFULLY EXCUTE SUCH A HUGE RESPONSIBILITY. ABBIE IS IN GOD’S HANDS AND ALL WE CAN DO IS KEEP PRAYING AND TRUSTING IN GOD IN ANY CAUSES WE MAY WISH TO UNDERTAKE. ALTHOUGH MPHO AND I WERE THE INTIATORS OF THIS CAMPAIGN, IT IS IMPORTANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE TEAM THAT HAS PLAYED A MAJOR ROLE IN MAKING THIS A SUCCESS AND TO COMPLIMENT THE COOPERATION OF THE NTSHABELE FAMILY. LAST BUT CERTAINLY NOT LEAST, I WISH TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO THANK THE MEDIA IN BOTSWANA FOR THE AMAZING SUPPORT, YOU MADE A HUGE DIFFERENCE. MAY YOU ALL BE BLESSED. To ABBIE: AUNTY MPHO AND I REALISE WE HAVE BEEN TOO CONSUMED WITH RAISING FUNDS FOR YOU, WE MAY HAVE NOT TOLD YOU THAT WE LOVE YOU. WE HOPE OUR ACTIONS HAVE SPOKEN WHAT OUR VOICES DID NOT AND WE WISH YOU ALL THE BEST GOING FORWARD. YOU ARE AN INSPIRATION, AND ANYTIME YOU NEED US WE WILL BE HERE. DO NOT EVER FEEL LIKE YOU OWE ANY OF US ANYTHING MY LOVE, YOU DON’T EVEN HAVE TO THANK US, JUST CONCENTRATE ON GETTING BETTER AND CONTINUE BEING AN ABSOLUTE STAR. TO MPHO : You are my hero and the most powerful woman I know. Thank you for continuing to challenge me to become a better person. I love you.
Posted on: Mon, 26 Jan 2015 12:00:19 +0000
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