FNBB Foundation donate to Dyslexia Botswana
In keeping with their efforts to give back to the community, First National Bank Botswana (FNBB) Foundation donated learning equipment and amenities worth P250, 000 to Dyslexia & Social Support Services Botswana.
The donation, which took place this Wednesday (15 February), included: three portable cabins (each to be fitted with already bought air-conditioners), six tablets, a projector and various learning software.
Based in Mmatseta village, Dyslexia & Social Support Services Botswana is a non-profit making organisation which advocates for children with learning difficulties.
Speaking at the handover ceremony, FNBB Foundation Trustee, Dorcas Kgosietsile stressed their commitment to helping such projects as they make a huge difference in peoples’ lives.
“These are the kind of issues we want to take part in but in most cases we are not well aware of them. We take pleasure in these sorts of projects and gestures because they change lives,” she said, adding their priority areas are youth empowerment and education.
“We will always improve social welfare in those because we believe in dignity for all. It is our desire as FNBB Foundation to see that we leave no one behind when improving academic performance of our learners!” declared Kgosietsile.
She revealed that in its 22 years of existence, the foundation has spent P60 million on empowering communities.
Praising the bank for its latest act of kindness, Special Education Director from Ministry of Education, Motshwari Mabote, said, “It’s an honour to receive this gift from FNBB Foundation because it will assist learners in the long run. We appreciate the foundation for the good gesture. To Dyslexia Botswana, your job is immense and critical for learners with special needs.”
For her part, the NGO’s founder, Letang Jiri explained there were many misconceptions surrounding dyslexia, which is in fact more of a learning difficulty than a disability as most people assume.
“This is a situation where children have difficulty in reading, writing and spelling and it affects some parts of the brain. So we have a challenge because most parents don’t understand this condition but for us here at the centre we advocate for early intervention to avoid dyslexia being mistaken for disability. With more donors we can help many children and change the education landscape locally,” said Jiri, who set up Dyslexia & Social Support Services Botswana in 2020.
Since then, the NGO has engaged 55 schools across the country for intervention purposes.
Some of their services include: child assessment for dyslexia, conducting remedial lessons and breakthrough tutoring, counselling, teacher training and practical skills transfer for dyslexia.
