
Lansmore Masa Square donate P30,000 to Bakgatla Boloka Matshelo Centre in Mochudi
Lansmore Masa Square General Manager, Mr. Rupert Elliott, and his management team have lent a helping hand to Bakgatla Bolokang Matshelo Centre in Mochudi.
On Friday 3rd October, the team journeyed to Mochudi to spend the morning planting vegetables with members of the Centre in a bid to promote self-sustainable small-scale farming. The intention is to see the children of the Centre benefit from meals created out of their own vegetable garden, at once teaching them about healthy nutrition and agriculture.
The highlight of the engagement saw the donation of a cheque to the value of P30,000 donated to Bakgatla Bolokang Matshelo caretaker Stella Raphoto, and her team. The funds were raised over a period of 3 months, with hotel guests invited to generously add a small sum to their bill upon checking out of Lansmore. Closing off the morning of excitement, Lansmore Masa Square Executive Chef, Rico Carlinsky, and his team prepared a braai lunch for the children.
Said Mr. Elliott, “The money is thanks to our guests.” He continued, “We’re really grateful for this partnership; it goes a long way in that we can now get our veggies from here!” quipped an excited Mr. Elliott. The relationship between Lansmore Masa and the Centre began well over a year ago. In this time, the hotel has engaged with Stella Raphoto and her team on numerous occasions. Past activities have including the plating of seedlings as part of the Bakgatla Bolokang Matshelo greenhouse.
Bakgatla Bolokang Matshelo Centre translated as ‘save lives’ is a community-based organisation (CBO) operating in the Kgatleng District in the heart of Mochudi. The Centre was established as a grass root community response to the home-based needs of families of persons infected and affected by HIV/AIDS and other chronic and terminal illnesses. The Centre is actively involved in prevention interventions in the community and in schools. In addition, the organisation provides sex and reproduction health education through visitation to secondary schools in Mochudi and neighbouring villages to address students as well as taking care of orphans and vulnerable children (OVC). The Centre is also involved in assisting other disadvantaged women to develop income-generating activities.
“We’ve a special place in our hearts for Stella and her team, and for the many incredible kids the Centre caters for. The key for us is that this is a relationship that we’ve nurtured over time and we’re pleased to be able to grow and build upon that. This handover was really just one example of that sentiment. In fact, for us it was more of a joy to be out there and spend the morning with Stella and the children,” Elliott further noted on the project.