SPEECH BY THE

MINISTER OF TRANSPORT AND COMMUNICATIONS

HONOURABLE FRANK J. RAMSDEN, M.P.

 AT A  HANDING OVER CEREMONY FOR DONATIONS TO THUSO REHABILITATION CENTRE

 MAUN MONDAY 22 AUGUST 2011

Chargé d’affaires of the Embassy of Japan, Mr. Hisashi Nakatomi

North West District Council Chairman

Ngamiland District Commissioner

Kgosi Kealetile Moremi

Heads of Department

BIHL Representative

Thuso Rehabilitation Centre and its Cooperating Partners

Local Government Councillors

Religious Leaders and Organisations

Members of the Media

Ladies and Gentlemen

I applaud efforts by the Government of Japan, through their Embassy in Gaborone and the Botswana Insurance Holdings Limited for contributing immensely to the people of Botswana, particularly the Thuso Rehabilitation Centre in Maun.

Donations of the Class-room and Cold Room at Thuso, by   the people of Japan and the Mini-bus from the Botswana Insurance Holdings Limited serve as an indication that, despite recent hardships in Japan, and the current financial downturn being experienced by financial institutions such as BIHL, the two Organisations could not ignore the plight of some of the people of Botswana. 

Though based in Maun, Thuso Rehabilitation Centre caters for the needs of people with disabilities from all parts of Botswana, not necessarily from Maun and her environs, the Ngami, Okavango and Chobe Constituencies. 

Thuso Rehabilitation Centrestarted operating in 1988, providing physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy to persons with disabilities.  They form a significant constituency in Botswana.

My Ministry donated funds in May this year to several Organisations for People with Disabilities, including Thuso Rehabilitation Centre, as its commitment to the needs of people with disabilities, in line with Vision 2016, which aims to improve the lives of Batswana without discrimination. 

As I said in May, if we are to successfully realise the ideals of that Vision over the next five years and beyond, we need to carry everybody along, including members of society who are less fortunate for one reason or the other. 

That is exactly what the Japanese Embassy through its Grass-roots Human Security Projects Programme and Botswana Insurance Holdings Limited are doing, to contribute to the empowerment of people with disabilities.

They are doing so in line with the 1996 National Policy on Care for Persons with Disabilities which seeks ‘to combat the incidence of disability and promote the quality of life for Persons with Disabilities. 

The Policy advocates a multi-sectoral approach in the provision of resources and other material requirements for people with disabilities.  It has given the Office of the President a task to provide political leadership and support by mobilising policy makers in Government Ministries to include persons with disabilities in their policies and programmes. 

With those few remarks Ladies and Gentlemen I wish to state that I am grateful to the Government of Japan and the Botswana Insurance Holdings Limited for their splendid donation to Thuso Rehabilitation Centre to continue to provide rehabilitation services to the people of Botswana.

 I am confident that these donations will be put to good use by Managers and Staff at Thuso Rehabilitation Centre so that we continue to support their efforts in the future.

Thank you very much for your attention.

PULA                           PULA                           PULA