Southern Africa Federation of the Disabled (SAFOD)

Baithaopi Ba Batswana Programme

SAFOD is now welcoming volunteers and interns from within Botswana to carry out various activities to enhance the capacity of the organisation and its local affiliates. The Baithaopi ba Batswana Programme is a local programme targeting young people, with preference to youths with disabilities, who have just graduated from the university/college to utilize their skills by contributing towards the various causes that SAFOD and its affiliate, BOFOD, are currently championing.

Baithaopi ba Batswana in Setswana (the official language of Botswana) means ‘volunteers who are Botswana nationals’.

This model of volunteerism allows local volunteers and interns from within Botswana to carry out various activities to enhance the capacity of BOFOD and its local affiliates, and may operate from SAFOD offices, or stationed at BOFOD office, or even at any of the BOFOD’s member DPOs, depending on various factors to be discussed and agreed with each of the prospective volunteers at the material time.

Within Botswana, SAFOD works the Botswana Federation of the Disabled (BOFOD). Prospective volunteers will therefore be expected and encouraged to support the work of BOFOD and/or membership, and may operate from SAFOD offices, or stationed BOFOD office, or even at any of the BOFOD’s member DPOs, depending on various factors to be discussed and agreed with each of the prospective volunteers at the material time.

This programme is free as there will be no administrative fees charged. At the same time, neither SAFOD nor BOFOD will offer any monitory payment to the prospective volunteer(s) for participating in the programme. Volunteers will have to take care of their transport and other related costs.

BOFOD is a membership umbrella organization of DPOs in Botswana, established to provide unified voice of all people with disabilities. Since its inception, BOFOD has organized and has been involved in various activities towards the realization of its objectives. These have covered the following areas, among others: (i) Conducting community awareness building campaigns, workshops to sensitize the communities on disability issues; (ii) Currently playing a significant role in lobbying for the enactment of the Bill on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities and disability policies; (iii) Playing a leading role in fighting for the inclusion of disability in all programmes that are meant to sensitize the population on the dangers of HIV/Aids and other national programmes.

SAFOD will discuss with BOFOD any capacity needs that may require external support from individual volunteers locally. Once the needs have been identified and analyzed, the SAFOD Secretariat will work with BOFOD to develop TORs for prospective local volunteers which will be posted on the SAFOD website and various other media channels. The TORs will be very flexible, as interested individuals will be allowed to directly inquire with BOFOD, and discuss terms accordingly. However, for purposes of our records, prospective volunteers are strictly advised to apply using the application for on the SAFOD website.

Working with BOFOD Membership

Prospective individuals applying under the Baithaopi ba Batswana Programme may also choose to work directly with any of the members of BOFOD as the rationale is not only to help BOFOD Secretariat but also help its member DPOs. One of the factors, for example, could be that the volunteer may be living in a location different from Gaborone, but one in which a BOFOD member is located. The current members include the following DPOs:

  1. Botswana Association of the Deaf;
  2. Kweneng Association of people with Disabilities;
  3. Gaborone Association of people with Disabilities;
  4. Botswana society of people with disabilities;
  5. le Rona re teng Association of People with Disabilities;
  6. Tshimologo Association of people with Disabilities;
  7. Lobatse Association of People with Disabilities;
  8. Botswana Association of Blind and Partially Sighted;
  9. Serowe Association of People with Disabilities; and
  10. Lerona re batho Association of People with Disabilities.