SOS To Evacuate Families From Centres In 2025

Costs of running the SOS village centre are said to be taking a toll on the organisation as cost per child in institutional care is high.

Speaking during SOS Francistown Christmas party, SOS National Director Mr Motswari Kitso said a study conducted on dealing with the stigma and reducing cost per child revealed that it was less expensive to care for child at community level, and since 2015 such had been piloted at Chadibe and the performance has since been better.

“The outlook is better as the children now think as individuals not as a group, and they receive necessary attention they deserve,” he said.

He said the children from the centre when transported on village transport continued to face stigmatisation.

He said it had been observed that children cared at SOS village did not cope with situation in the outside world because they were used to group mentality, hence deinstitutionalisation of the caring process at SOS.

Mr Kitso said the plan is to have evacuated all families from the centre in 2025 and to look for a partner to lease the village/centre premises to generate income, adding that SOS would however not be closing, but would continue with its mandate at a different level.

SOS former beneficiary, Ms Onkabatse Ikalafeng said after losing her mother when doing form 1 she was helpless and frustrated because she didn’t know what the future held for her, but SOS came to her rescue.

She said through assistance from the centre she was admitted to Mophato English Medium, and has now enrolled with IDM institute to study Early Childhood Education.

She said SOS taught her that success in life was unlimited and that she should always aim to do her best.

“Although there were huddles and challenges outside the village, I am always able to overcome them as SOS provided me with opportunities to realise my dreams,” she said.

She advised peers to not get involved in social ills or do things they would later regret in life.

Mr Moiko Moiko, a resident of Chadibe said they had been working with SOS taking care of children since 2016, built a relationship which has blossomed and seen the centre enrolling some children into a tourism school.

He said SOS has since donated P500 000 for construction of a bed and breakfast facility to employ the centre graduates and members of the community.

Vunani Fund Manager Mr Thabo Moipolai said it was paramount for people to give back to help in community building and assist the most vulnerable members in the community.

He said Vunani was committed to donating P60 000 annually. He encouraged other stakeholders to join in community building through financial and material support.

Board chairperson Ms Esther Kanaimba-Senai said it takes a community to raise a child, noting that one in 10 children worldwide were separated from their family either because of lack of resources at home or by death.

Alternative Care Coordinator Mr Nkgopolang Dikwena said SOS had financial challenges and survived by handouts thus called for more partners to invest in the future of children.

He said the plan was to integrate SOS into the community, and help them use the centre buildings to raise funds for SOS activities.