Sojwe, BOTSWANA — The Grand Palm Hotel Casino Convention Resort continues to live up to its overarching Corporate Social Investment (CSI) approach for improving the social, environmental, and economic well-being of their community despite the challenging times of covid-19 pandemic. Being in the hospitality and tourism sector, the hotel is amongst the hardest hit entities due to COVID-19 pandemic, but this has nonetheless deterred the hotel to give back to its community.
For the third consecutive year, the hotel this past Friday travelled to Matsheng JSS in Sojwe, about 125km North East of Molepolole, where they blessed the students with some much-needed goodies. The staff donation by the hotel was led by Operations Manager, Keletso Bogatsu who spent a full day with the school’s management and students.
The team also used the opportunity to give the students some pep-talk before donating stationery and self-care packs to over 830 students for their upkeep. The self-care packs included soaps, lotions, sanitary pads, towels, and deodorants estimated to cost over P120 000. Bogatsu pleaded with the students to study hard so that in future they can also give back to the school which molded them into becoming better beings. Matsheng JSS scored a low 17% pass rate of grade C or better in the last junior examinations results.
“As the Grand Palm hotel, we are back here at Matsheng to give you the much-needed motivation, give you goodies so that all of you can focus on studying. When all these goodies’ finish, please arrange to us to come back again. I am however worried about the pass rate of the school; I therefore plead with you, class of 2021 to rise to the occasion and promise at least 40% pass rate from the current 17%. Education is the key to success and therefore your future is depended on it. Also, as the hotel, we will keep visiting you and help wherever we can to help build your future. You have capable teachers in the schools, encourage each other to study and lift each other,” said Bogatsu.
When receiving the generous donation, school head, Tshegang Molome along with her staff said they are grateful to the Grand Palm for being their messiah especially during these difficult times. Molome further encouraged her students to study hard, to make their school and the hotel immensely proud.
“We are proud of the good Samaritan work done by the Grand Palm, for the students who are the form ones, they have been donating to us for the last three consecutive years without fail. The only good deed we can do for them is to increase our pass rate, study hard and become what we want to become post our education,” said Molome.
The Grand Palm Marketing Officer, Samantha Bogopa said the donation is in line with the hotel’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategy and their value for education sees Matsheng JSS as their benefactor.