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MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENT FUND CONDUCTS CARE TAKER TRAINING AND COUNSELLING WORKSHOP

The Motor Vehicle Accident Fund through its Case Management Department yesterday (Thursday) conducted a care taker training and counselling workshop for claimants with severe injuries and their caregivers, residing in Gaborone and its catchment areas at Fairgrounds holdings, in Gaborone.

The half-day workshop proposed to promote psychosocial wellbeing of both claimants and their caregivers.

The workshop also intended to equip caregivers for the new claimants with vital caregiver skills and promote coordinated relationship between caretakers and their claimants. 

Moreover, during the event old claimants were brought along to share their experiences during their journey to rehabilitation and also to impart necessary and key knowledge regarding the management of their severe injuries.

BOITEKANELO ROAD SAFETY CLUB CONDUCTS PASSENGER SAFETY CAMPAIGN

The Boitekanelo College Road Safety Club in Partnership with the Motor Vehicle Accident Fund held a Passenger Safety Campaign at the University premises in Tlokweng (Wednesday 21^st April 2021 from 8am-1400hrs.

The passenger Induction exercise strived to increase passenger safety knowledge, raise awareness on the repercussions and risks associated with the non-use of seatbelts and child restraints. The exercise also aimed to reduce the numbers of passenger offences by the college students and its members of staff.

Moreover, the induction was meant to encourage the students to take responsibility as passengers by advising them on reporting bad driving, drink driving and reckless drivers of private and public vehicles.

In an effort to deal with the constant outcry of blood shortage in the country, the Motor Vehicle Accident Fund through its Wellness Committee this past (Friday 16^th April 2021 from 0830-1630hours) held a Blood Donation Drive at its Head Office in Fairgrounds, Gaborone, where all staff members donated copious amounts of their blood.

Speaking during the blood donation, the MVA Fund Wellness Committee Chairman Ms. Charity Moala says, since it’s the mandate of the committee to ensure wellness and fitness of MVA Fund employees, it was essential to organize such a noble gesture. She said the donation also emanated as a response to the Ministry of Health and Wellness appeal and outcry for donation of blood through the National Blood Transfusion Department.

STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT PIVOTAL IN DRIVING MVA FUND MANDATE by Buyani Chidoda

The MVA Fund Senior Manager Case Management Ms. Lydia Masilo-Nkhoma recognized the need to improve working relations and enhance good stakeholder relations to improve service delivery.

Ms. Masilo-Nkhoma was speaking during the Motor Vehicle Accident Fund half day social workers’ forum conducted by the Case Management Department targeting the South East District Council (Ramotswa and its catchment areas) on the 19^th March 2021 in Gaborone.

Ms. Nkhoma said social work is clinical and as part of their key stakeholders, social workers play a huge role when it comes to welfare support, dealing with MVA Fund beneficiaries who have either lost their breadwinners or those who may have been injured as a result of road crashes. She further said, the half day event was also most importantly to afford social workers an opportunity to appreciate MVA Fund products and services, get the knowhow of the criteria for inclusion and exclusion of MVA Fund claimants.

She believed that the platform would also facilitate for MVA Fund to benchmark on the policies from the Department of Social Protection (DSP) and how they can complement each other.

Moreover, she alluded that the workshop would also promote good working relations, “This is where we get our liaison persons who will assist us diligently whenever we seek help for our claimants from the S & CD and hospital based social workers”.

When educating the participants of the workshop being social workers about MVA Fund products and services, MVA Fund Case Manager – Welfare Ms. Buyani Chidoda shared that the vision of MVA Fund; “best chance to normal life” and the mission; “to enhance the quality of life by promoting road safety, compensating, rehabilitating and supporting those affected by road crashes” speaks to the function of social work practice of enhancing the wellbeing of vulnerable people in society. The Fund through case management welfare is responsible for facilitating the provision of psychosocial support services to injured claimants and to coordinate provision of compensation and support to dependents who have lost their breadwinners as a result of road traffic crashes.

The Fund conducts indigence and paternity investigations that assist to determine whether those submitting claims for loss of support qualify for compensation in accordance to the Loss of Support Guidelines and other statutory regulations. Further to that and subsequent to an offer being made, The Fund on an annual basis conducts post settlement follow-up visits to loss of support claimants. The objectives of the visits are to check the welfare status of minor children to ascertain whether the funds disbursed for their care are used for the intended purposes, whether other social issues which contribute positively to the welfare of minor children are appropriately addressed and to curb possible misappropriation of the minor’s funds.

For injured claimants Ms. Chidoda highlighted that Psychosocial support interventions offered for them is aimed at improving their well-being and mental health, to resolve or mitigate troublesome behaviors, beliefs, compulsions, thoughts, or emotions, and to improve relationships and social skills.

Ms Chidoda concluded her education by pointing out that Social workers play a vital role in supporting the Fund’s mandate as their work involves among others, advocacy, registration and monitoring of welfare programs for orphans, elderly and vulnerable children. In addition, they have full coverage in remote areas, which will complement service delivery to claimants who reside in far and remote areas.

For his part on the role of social work in Botswana, Senior Social Worker at the Department of Social Protection under the ministry of Local Government and Rural Development Mr. Ngoni Mmolawa said their vision suggests; social functioning for all. Social Protection is charged with a big role in crafting laws, legislation, welfare policies and programmes for promotion of social functioning for communities.

He said it is also within their mandate to support those who suffer chronic incapacities to secure basic livelihoods, provide mental health assistance and offer psycho social support services.

Mmolawa says, social work as a profession plays a pivotal role in the administration of social welfare programmes and ensure that they reach everybody that needs support. “We directly work with recipients of social welfare programmes through one on one interventions” Mmolawa added”.

Sharing MVA Fund Senior Manager’s sentiments, Mr. Mmolawa concurred that joining hands together as DSP, MVA Fund and other Public Private Partnerships can protect the disadvantaged such as children against risk and vulnerability, mitigate against the impact of life misfortunes and disasters in children’s lives and finally aid in the execution of social protection services.

Also present at the social workers’ forum was the Botswana National Association of Social Workers (BONASW) representative Mr. Cymon Moyo.  In his remarks, he shared that the BONASW is working tirelessly for the establishment of the Social workers’ council. He said the council will amongst other things aid in the regulation and coordination of social workers practice and activities in Botswana and their professional conducts. “Social workers should know their values so that they are accountable for their work” Moyo said.

He further alluded that, the council will also be vital as it will accommodate for scrutiny of the officers’ educational background, professional and ethical practice in the field undertaken by social workers’ prior employment for quality assurance. He also indicated that the social workers’ council will also impart necessary skills to social workers through training and development so that they tussle well with emerging problems and issues such as the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic.

When delivering closing remarks for the Social Workers’ forum, Case Manager Rehabilitation Ms. Lady Modise appreciated the tremendous work social workers do, citing that it is through their dedication and efforts that the scope of mental health is changing. Ms. Lady also emphasized that, social work is the core business of MVA Fund as it is a social security arm and it is through such partnerships that a lot can be achieved. She appreciated that indeed social work is a very demanding profession. “We as MVA Fund have benefited from your social work knowledge here today and through government interventions the system can change for the better. In conclusion, it is imperative for monitoring and evaluation of social welfare programmes to be effectively done from such stakeholder collaborations,” she said.

MVA Fund Donates to Botswana Police Services

Motor Vehicle Accident Fund donated  refreshments worth over P50 000 to the Botswana Police Services recently, as support  towards roadside campaigns for the upcoming festive season.The patnership between BPS and MVA Fund  comes a very long way as they are both charged with the responsibility to promote road safety in the country.

When handing over the donations, Motor Vehicle Accident Fund CEO, Mr Michael Tlhagwane said the gifts are essential for the road side campaigns as there is increased movement of travellers and road users visiting their relatives at different destinations for the holidays.Mr Tlhagwane further mentioned that the donations were intended to boost the morale and motivate  police officers deployed during the festive season.He further indicated that on  average about 82 people perished annually during the months of November and December  from the year 2015 to 2019  due to road accidents.

For her part Deputy Commissioner responsible for Police Operations Ms Dinah Marathe highlighted that both MVA Fund and BPS  have a common mandate and in preceding years have been engaged in joint  roadside campaigns in efforts to curb the escalating road accidents and fatalities.She also pointed that the refreshments which included ,Energy Drinks,Bottles of Water and Packets of Raisins amongst others were to be distributed accordingly to engaged officers.