BIHL Official handover at Bana Ba Metsi
NKARANGE – BIHL Trust this month continues to show support for Bana ba Metsi school, building upon the foundation of work begun during the year 2010. The Trust officially handed over the recently constructed library, kitchen and dining hall to the Head of the School, Mr. Sono, and members of the community.
The visit saw BIHL Trust representatives including Dr. N.H Fidzani, Chairperson of the BIHL Trust, reaffirm support towards the school and check on the progress and developments made. In 2010, the Trust donated P250,000 towards the construction of a computer lab and a new kitchen and dining hall built by the Bana ba Metsi students and staff. The students were hands on in the project as they assisted in the building of the structures while BIHL Trust provided the funds for all the materials needed. The school was also connected to the national electricity grid at a cost of P70,000 making the school able to power various other functions besides the computer studies room and new kitchen alone.
Dr. Fidzani commended the students for a job well done on the building and construction of the dining hall and kitchen. He noted that the Trust has decided to take Bana Ba Metsi as one of their long-term projects to help them in their areas of need. He further encouraged the students to empower themselves in proactively working to change their circumstances by learning as much as they can, also commending one of the teachers, Mr. Kebonewetsho, an alumnus who now teaches at the school.
Said Tebogo Keepetsoe, PR, Communications & Marketing Manager at BIHL Group and Administrator of the BIHL Trust, “We embarked on this project with the aim of empowering the students to construct the buildings themselves as a way to help develop marketable skills. A dedication towards sustainable education development is key to heart and strategy of the Trust and we will continue to invest in the future of children such as those at Bana ba Metsi.”
Bana ba Metsi School’s purpose is to provide an opportunity for youth at risk to develop understandings, skills, attitudes and personal qualities through the dignity of learning and work. The school, situated in a remote north-west corner of Botswana, admits kids who have problems that have interfered with their primary-level education, including anti-social activities like bullying, harassment and theft. In addition to academic skills the students are taught vocational skills such as bricklaying, carpentry, mechanics, agriculture, music and even information technology.
