| We are delighted to announce the 5th edition of the Mascom Batanani Walk, which coincides with Mascom’s 25 years in the telecommunications industry. The 5th Mascom Batanani Walk is scheduled for Saturday 12th August 2023 at Francistown Council Stadium. Mascom Batanani was launched in 2019 with an objective to drive positive change in our society. The walk is one of the most anticipated charity events in Botswana and it features walks in 15km, 10km and 5km categories. “Batanani” is an iKalanga word, meaning “Tshwaragang” in Setswana and “Unite” in English, to signify the importance of united action for positive change. Driven by the principle that “Change Starts With You”, the concept of Batanani is that anyone can be an agent of change and it starts with an individual taking on the challenge to join united efforts to support change. In the true “Batanani” spirit, since its inception, the Mascom Batanani Walk, has unified Batswana to walk and support numerous causes and organizations: In 2019, we walked to raise awareness against Gender Based Violence by supporting the Botswana Police Women’s Wing in Francistown in the important work they do in this area. In 2020, amidst the devastating COVID-19, and with rising reported cases of children abuse, we walked to raise awareness on Children Rights. This we achieved in partnership with the SOS Children’s Village in Francistown, who used the funds raised to refurbish their hall. To respond to the testing year of 2021, marred with the anguish from the many deaths from COVID-19, the prolonged lockdowns and isolation, our virtual walk raised awareness on Mental Health. We relied on the expertise of the Jubilee Hospital Psychiatric Unit in Francistown to navigate this important issue. The walk raised funds for them to refurbish and expand their Unit, to be able to serve the community better. As the world opened post the pandemic in 2022, we reverted to the physical walk to support the deaf in collaboration with the Centre for Deaf Education in Francistown. With the proceeds of the walk, they acquired equipment and utensils for their kitchen and secured laptops for administration work. Our theme for 2023 is ‘Drugs and Substance Abuse’ and is aimed at supporting and sensitizing Batswana on drugs and substance abuse. We hope to bring light to key challenges arising from this and take a step together towards building a drug free community. “In the true spirit of ‘Batanani’, this is a call to stand united by walking or contributing by donating to a great cause. Giving back is a fundamental value in our Setswana culture. Through this walk we aspire to evoke and celebrate the spirit of giving and community development. As Mascom, this is embedded in our purpose of Powering Connections That Inspire Change. This we drive through our values of Fun, Integrity, Innovation, Service Excellence, Teamwork, Open and Effective Communication.” Mascom CEO Ms. Dzene Makhwade – Seboni.” |
There are 2 ways of participating in the Mascom Batanani Walk. You can join in the physical walk by paying an entry fee of P200.00, which also becomes your donation towards the walk beneficiary. You can also contribute towards the cause by donating as little as P50.00. To be a part of the Mascom Batanani Walk, please visit your nearest Mascom shop or log into our Mascom Online portal at online.mascom.bw or dial *167# to register via Mascom MyZaka.
Your donation is for a good cause. Our beneficiary for this year is the Botswana Substance Abuse Network (BOSASNet), an organization set up to address the problem of alcohol and substance abuse in Botswana. Let’s Take the Step towards social recovery from Drugs and Substance Abuse because #ChangeStartsWithYou!