The annual flooding of the Okavango Delta and the filling up of its river channels has brought a cheer and a celebration to the Maun community.
One enterprising family in Maun realised that the excitement that came at a time when people were locked in their houses during the peak of COVID-19, can in fact generate money through social media.
Hennie Rawlinson and his family turned the fun into a fundraising initiative, which has so far raised a substantial amount of money for two local charities.
According to Rawlinson, the idea of Maun flood initiative started in April after he saw a satellite picture of the Delta on Facebook and he thought it would be fun to track the flow.
“This whole initiative started in April when everybody was under lockdown and nobody could go out and experience the floods.”
Rawlinson started a Facebook page where people made a bet on when the water would cross the Matlapana Bridge in Maun, “The initiative went big and made a lot of money and we unanimously agreed to donate it to charity,” said Rawlinson.
Last week Friday, the family donated P51, 562, equally split between two non-governmental organisations in Maun; Women Against Rape and Polokong Day care Centre for the elderly.
Receiving the donation, Women against Rape Director, Peggy Ramaphane applauded the Rawlison family for their kind gesture.
”Running a nonprofit organization is challenging, we rely on donations for our day-to-day operations and it is only little that goes into our pockets. We are grateful for the initiative,” Ramaphane stated.
For her part, Beauty Bogwasi of Polokong Day Care for the elderly expressed her gratitude for the kind gesture.
“This donation is a lifeline that came at the right time when our boat was about to sink. We take care of the elderly and supply them with daily hot meals and give out food parcels. This money will go a long way in helping us keep afloat,” said Bogwasi