Date: 23/07/2004
Source: North West Provincial Government
Title: N Rasmeni: Launch of distribution of tracksuits to child-headed households & orphans
ADDRESS BY MEC FOR SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT, MS RN RASMENI, DURING THE LAUNCH OF THE DISTRIBUTION OF TRACKSUITS TO CHILD-HEADED HOUSEHOLDS AND ORPHANS, Mogwase, 23 July 2004
The Programme Director,
MEC for Education, Rev OJ Tselapedi,
MMC responsible for Social Development and other councillors,
All Public Servants,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
A great Afro American leader the late Martin Luther King Jr once said "Our only hope today lies in our ability to recapture the revolutionary spirit and go into a sometimes hostile world declaring eternal hostility to poverty, racism, and militarism."
I am quoting him against the background of today's intention of launching the distribution of tracksuits to our needy children. These children have been left parentless due to the scourge of HIV/AIDS that is ravaging our country. We are aware that they live in abject poverty and we need to give them the necessary support. Martin Luther King Jr indicates to us that we should have the tenacity to fight poverty and other social ills that continue to confront our communities. The people of this country have mandated government when they went to the voting polls on 14 April to provide social services that will enable them to be self-sufficient and self-reliant. It is therefore of utmost importance that we engage the communities in all government programmes. It is indeed necessary for us as government to look into such programmes that will enable us to service orphans and other vulnerable children as their number is sky-rocketing day by day.
The department I am leading through its HIV/AIDS programme last year undertook to purchase and distribute winter tracksuits to these children as part of the 100 days Quick Win projects. Twenty-four (24) of our service offices were requested to assist in identifying 27 children in their areas, particularly from child-headed households who will benefit from the project. The children were drawn from the list of Orphans and Child-headed households identified during the MEC family fun day held in December 2003.
The government has an obligation to ensure that children are taken care of as enshrined in the South African Constitution. This is a demonstration that we really intend to make a difference in the lives of our children.
The Programme Director, after the launch, the actual distribution must immediately start. It is also our wish that the process be very smooth, without fraud, corruption and any delay. Government officials responsible for this programme must implement it with diligence. We do not want to hear that tracksuits that were meant for particular children have been drawn off and directed somewhere else. I therefore call on all officials to ensure that this does not happen.
Programme Director, it gives us pride to note that the tracksuits were produced by poverty alleviation community projects funded by government, as this will ensure that they are financially viable. A total number of 22 income-generating projects benefited from the project.
The overall message that we are conveying is that government cares. We are committed to pushing back the frontiers of poverty and making a call to our community to join government in this mission. We are therefore creating an environment conducive for the communities to develop themselves. Together we can make a difference and make a meaningful intervention to change the lives of our people for the better.
This intervention should not be seen as a once-off event but rather as a well-coordinated effort to deal with poverty. We call upon all stakeholders behind this programme to ensure that qualitative change of the lives of our people can happen. We therefore hope that this will impact positively on our children.
In conclusion Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to once more call on the departmental officials to continue to serve our people with courtesy. Let us be creative and come up with ways of assisting the communities we live in. To the organisers of this event, I would like to thank you for your efforts in organising this function and keep up the good work.
I thank you for your attention.
Issued by: Department of Social Development, North West Provincial Government
23 July 2004
Source: North West Provincial Government
Title: N Rasmeni: Launch of distribution of tracksuits to child-headed households & orphans
ADDRESS BY MEC FOR SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT, MS RN RASMENI, DURING THE LAUNCH OF THE DISTRIBUTION OF TRACKSUITS TO CHILD-HEADED HOUSEHOLDS AND ORPHANS, Mogwase, 23 July 2004
The Programme Director,
MEC for Education, Rev OJ Tselapedi,
MMC responsible for Social Development and other councillors,
All Public Servants,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
A great Afro American leader the late Martin Luther King Jr once said "Our only hope today lies in our ability to recapture the revolutionary spirit and go into a sometimes hostile world declaring eternal hostility to poverty, racism, and militarism."
I am quoting him against the background of today's intention of launching the distribution of tracksuits to our needy children. These children have been left parentless due to the scourge of HIV/AIDS that is ravaging our country. We are aware that they live in abject poverty and we need to give them the necessary support. Martin Luther King Jr indicates to us that we should have the tenacity to fight poverty and other social ills that continue to confront our communities. The people of this country have mandated government when they went to the voting polls on 14 April to provide social services that will enable them to be self-sufficient and self-reliant. It is therefore of utmost importance that we engage the communities in all government programmes. It is indeed necessary for us as government to look into such programmes that will enable us to service orphans and other vulnerable children as their number is sky-rocketing day by day.
The department I am leading through its HIV/AIDS programme last year undertook to purchase and distribute winter tracksuits to these children as part of the 100 days Quick Win projects. Twenty-four (24) of our service offices were requested to assist in identifying 27 children in their areas, particularly from child-headed households who will benefit from the project. The children were drawn from the list of Orphans and Child-headed households identified during the MEC family fun day held in December 2003.
The government has an obligation to ensure that children are taken care of as enshrined in the South African Constitution. This is a demonstration that we really intend to make a difference in the lives of our children.
The Programme Director, after the launch, the actual distribution must immediately start. It is also our wish that the process be very smooth, without fraud, corruption and any delay. Government officials responsible for this programme must implement it with diligence. We do not want to hear that tracksuits that were meant for particular children have been drawn off and directed somewhere else. I therefore call on all officials to ensure that this does not happen.
Programme Director, it gives us pride to note that the tracksuits were produced by poverty alleviation community projects funded by government, as this will ensure that they are financially viable. A total number of 22 income-generating projects benefited from the project.
The overall message that we are conveying is that government cares. We are committed to pushing back the frontiers of poverty and making a call to our community to join government in this mission. We are therefore creating an environment conducive for the communities to develop themselves. Together we can make a difference and make a meaningful intervention to change the lives of our people for the better.
This intervention should not be seen as a once-off event but rather as a well-coordinated effort to deal with poverty. We call upon all stakeholders behind this programme to ensure that qualitative change of the lives of our people can happen. We therefore hope that this will impact positively on our children.
In conclusion Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to once more call on the departmental officials to continue to serve our people with courtesy. Let us be creative and come up with ways of assisting the communities we live in. To the organisers of this event, I would like to thank you for your efforts in organising this function and keep up the good work.
I thank you for your attention.
Issued by: Department of Social Development, North West Provincial Government
23 July 2004
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