Orfund’s ultimate goal is to provide orphans and vulnerable children with the tools to realize their full potential. Education is the primary means of achieving this so most of Orfund’s efforts are focused on providing pre-school education and supplementing the primary and secondary education of the children.

The Mission and Vision of Kamogelo Day Care Centre

The Kamogelo Day Care Centre, under the leadership of the Tirisanyo Catholic Commission, serves the entire community of Mogoditshane and surrounding areas by operating a free, quality Day Care Centre for orphaned and vulnerable children. The mission of Kamogelo is to provide all orphans and vulnerable children with a safe and stigma-free environment in which they can easily access quality services, as well as to empower the caregivers of vulnerable children to compassionately and competently care for them. We believe every child deserves to have their basic needs met, including their needs for loving guardianship and a quality education. We hope that every child we serve learns to envision a future in which he or she goes on to live a happy, healthy, and productive life.

Enrolment
Currently, there are about 100 pre-school children attending school at Kamogelo. We offer nursery and reception classes for children from ages two through six. An additional 250+ children attend our weekend Kids Club.

Meals
At Kamogelo, we offer every child two healthy, hearty meals a day. For some children, the meals they receive at Kamogelo are their only regular nutrition, so we strive to provide the most nutritious meals possible. We grow our own vegetables in a large irrigated garden.

Transportation
Our combi bus provides free transportation to and from the Centre for all children residing in Mogoditshane and surrounding areas.

Sports
Our school regularly competes in sports competitions with other pre-schools.

Parent-Teacher Association
Kamogelo has an active Parent-Teacher Association, and all care-givers are encouraged to participate. The PTA meets with the school administration on-site every month.

Graduations
Each November we host a large celebration for our graduates and the entire Kamogelo community. We continue to stay connected to graduates of Kamogelo and their families through our weekly Kids Club.

Staff and Facilities
Kamogelo’s staff of 18 includes paid professionals, support workers and volunteers. Children at Kamogelo are taught by four qualified teachers. Each of the classrooms also has one teacher’s assistant. We currently have four spacious classrooms, three offices, a sickbay, a kitchen, a dining hall, a pantry, a store room, toilets and showers.

Health Care and Home Visits
At Kamogelo, we strive to see that all of our children stay healthy and strong. To this end, our Social Worker makes regular visits to the homes of every child. She builds relationships with caregivers and helps caregivers understand the complex needs of orphans and vulnerable children. For children on ARV treatment, we make sure that their medications are being administered properly. We also ensure that all the children have access to quality health services.

Funding
The Centre has an annual operating budget of approximately Botswana Pula 600,000 or approximately CDN$ 100,000 per annum. The majority of the funds to operate the Centre are provided by the Catholic Church, Orfund Foundation and various private donors.

Orfund Foundation also supports the Centre through the development of a garden which provides vegetables to assist in meeting the children’s nutritional needs.

The centre’s physical infrastructure was funded through donations from the US Government, Rotary Club of Gaborone and FNB. The physical infrastructure, which is world class, provides an outstanding environment for the children to receive high quality services free of charge.