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Emily with kids & their homework

Some of the boys in the uniforms

Lunch at the Center

The team in October 2006

The Center

The new classroom at the Center

Art created during courses

One of the children with his family

Bana ba Letsatsi

Mission Statement:
“ To keep children at risk in Maun off the streets and away from negative influences by providing a healthy, drug free, crime free life with shelter, education, skills, positive attitudes and personal qualities through the culture of learning and work, in order to re-enter society and become productive members of the community”

In December 2002, an Irish lady by the name of Emily Cusack founded Bana ba Letsatsi (above left with some children) in response to the growing number of children on the streets in Maun. She quickly identified the issue of children roaming the streets that so far had not been identified by the authorities. She set up the cornerstone for Bana ba Letsasti and started focusing exclusively on the these children, picking them up off the streets and taking them to a make shift center and reintroducing them back to their schools. As of May 2008 BBL has 203 registered children. The children are between the ages of 4 and 17.

To achieve its mission Bana ba Letsatsi provides the children with the following:
- daily showers
- clean Center uniforms (blue with logo)
- non-formal education for those not attending school
- access to counselors
- information & theraplay on HIV/AIDS
- native studies
- arts & crafts workshops
- sports & music
- clothing school uniforms
- outreach programmes : Bana ba Naga and
   Living with Elefants
- medical check-ups

The children in Maun receive breakfast before they go to school, lunch after school and a snack before the day ends in the center at 4:30 pm during the week. In 2007 over 8000 meals were served.

The children also learn to do their own laundry and assist in cleaning up duties.

Even though the organization is still very young it has managed to successfully reintroduce (in some cases introduce) 35 children into Botswana’s government school system. An additional 11 children joined “Bana ba Metsi”, a chritable organization that teaches 13-15 year old boys practical skills. Two children were sent to the SOS Childrens’ Village in Fancistown.

The schooling provided in the center is intended to prepare these children to re-enter the official government education system.

The Center actively monitors the development of the children that have been reintroduced to official schools. Where children have dropped out, school visits are conducted to determine why and find an acceptable solution for the child. The Center will also ensure that the child has the necessary uniforms and will provide these if the parents cannot afford them and the Social Sevice Department does not feel responsible.

Futher family initiatives are undertaken and currently caregivers and mothers attend sewing and craft classes to later sell the self produced products.

Youth development has been a strong focus to train older children in plumbing, brick laying and roofing and assisting them in finding permanent employment with local companies.

Child analyses and home visits are conducted to ensure the children can be classified as children at risk. A personal file is kept and updated. Regular home visits are carried out whenever possible to meet with parents/relatives to further assess the problems facing a child and councel the families where necessary.

The majority of the children are addicted to glue and other substances that will allow them to forget their immediate pains and sorrows. To address this difficult subject the Center is also looking at setting up a regular detoxification therapy.

The Center is  being run by Fiona Miller (since Dec. 2007) as coordinator and 10 staff including counselors, teachers and volunteers.

These are some of the main task involved around the children. There is obviously a lot of administrative work to be done to liase with local NGO’s, Governmental Institutions, organize food, donations, uniforms, materials etc. etc. etc.

The rapid increase of children at risk due to the HIV/AIDS pandemic requires the center to ensure its performance.

Currently the children most urgently need:

- payment of school fees and uniforms
- clothes
- shoes
- schooling materials (pens, paper, books, crayons)
- toys

In the medium term we want to build a center that can support the children on a broader basis 7 days a week
 

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