Botswana vocational rehab program in Maun graduates 18 students

From The Botswana Gazette:

Eighteen people living with disabilities (PLWD) have graduated at Thuso Rehabilitation centre in Maun after two years of vocational studies in weaving, dressmaking, horticulture and leather works.

Graduates with varying forms of physical and mental deformity were met by a chorus of cheers and tears of joy from their families as they entered the tent set up at the institution campus for the event last week.

Speaking at the event, Acting Director of Health (sectoral relations and parternership) in the Ministry of Health, Relebeng Otsweleng said this was the seventh graduating class since TRC was established in 1987. She said the graduation ceremony marked a milestone in the institution’s continued commitment towards empowering PLWDs with the required skills to survive on their own.

“Empowering PLWDs benefits the nation, which why the government of Botswana provides annual grants to Thuso and other rehabilitation centres.”

Thuso Rehabilitation director Moses Kandavazu said PLWDs need the society for support, stressing that disability should not be a limiting factor to anyone.

“These people need the encouragement of the community because they are the one who will be receiving them back,” he said.

For their part the graduates called on relevant authorities to help them with a place where they can sell their wares. They reiterated that they want to form clusters through which they can combine forces to utilise skills they have learnt to start income generating projects.

The Thuso Rehabilitation Centre is a non-governmental institution founded and supported by Evangelical Lutheran Church.It first opened its doors to disabled people in Botswana in 1987, offering course in leatherworks, sewing, gardening, and knitting.

The institution also provides physio, occupational and speech therapy free of charge.The orthopedic lab of the institution also designs appliances for amputees.

“We design orthopedic appliances of the body for any part of the body which presents a problem,” said the institution orthopedic technician, Frank Dube in an interview.

The technician however said the orthopedic lab is not built properly.” Our lab is not well ventilated and our safety and pollution are our main problems here”. He also said most of the equipment is very old, and whose components have to be imported.

“We spend almost half a million Pula on importing components,” he lamented.

Thuso recently benefited from a donation of orthopedic technology known as silicon linear in which 31 clients with below knee amputees were fitted with below knee prostheses. The donation came from Island through the Ministry of Health.

Rural industries Innovation Centre (RIIC) has also constructed a wetland treatment system at the institution. The system recycles waste water for use in the institution garden.