Staff reporter
Econet Telecom Lesotho has donated toothbrushes and toothpaste worth M10 000 to students and herd-boys in Thaba-Tseka district.
The donation was in commemoration of Oral Health Awareness Week 2023, and covered nine schools and communities in the district.
Econet partnered with the District Health Management Team (DHMT) to hand out the critical donations from 28 August to 1 September under the theme, Protect your teeth and avoid tooth loss.
Oral Health Awareness Week is celebrated annually and seeks to help upscale and intensify the provision of oral health services at community and grassroots level for free.
According to Econet, this year’s commemoration was targeting primary and high school pupils as well as herd-boys.
“We are incredibly overjoyed as Econet Telecom Lesotho, to extend a hand and support an initiative of this magnitude that will help improve oral hygiene for residents of Thaba-Tseka and students from the participating schools,” said Econet Telecom Lesotho General Manager-Marketing Communications and Customer Experience, ‘Mapusetso Ntšekhe.
Ms Ntšekhe further expressed her delight that through Econet’s compassion, disadvantaged groups such as herd-boys and vulnerable children would be afforded access to toothbrushes and toothpaste to help improve their oral health.
“It is important for each family member to have their own toothbrush, including children, and I believe this gesture will go a long way in achieving this goal,” Ms Ntšekhe said.
“Commemorating Oral Health Awareness Week 2023 is testament to Econet Telecom Lesotho’s continued drive to rigorously participate in efforts that improve Basotho’s wellbeing across the Mountain Kingdom. It also underscores the values to which we subscribe to as Econet.”
On his part, Dr Oluseye Soyebo of the District Health Management Team (DHMT), praised Econet for this generous donation. He said most families in the districts were struggling to make ends meet, hence the importance of the Econet donation. He further said the basic dental health necessities donated by Econet would make a huge difference in the lives of the targeted groups.
In response, teachers from Bocheletsane Combined School commended Econet and the Thaba-Tseka DHMT for providing the health necessities and making time to offer these valuable services to the students. They further indicated that screening services and oral education offered would contribute immensely to the work they are doing of encouraging their students to lead healthy lifestyles, notwithstanding the challenges they endure at home.
