In a classroom where calculators are shared and pencils run short, a delivery of 70 branded pencil cases from the North-West University (NWU) Botswana Alumni Chapter landed with purpose. These cases containing pens, maths sets and scientific calculators represent the means to bridge more than just academic gaps.
The handover took place on 21 June 2025 during the annual NWU Botswana alumni reunion, hosted by the NWU Alumni Office at Avani Hotel in Gaborone. The donation formed part of the chapter’s 2025 corporate social responsibility initiative, which aimed to support learners from Naledi Senior Secondary School in Gaborone.
“This gesture has taught us what it means to ‘plough back,’ as the NWU likes to describe it,” said Aumake Aaron, Naledi’s learner representative council president. “It motivates us to work hard academically. That child who cannot afford a calculator but needs one to excel will one day also feel the love of the NWU.”
Naledi educator Mpho Masasa said the support arrived at a time of financial strain. “There is a lack of funds at the school. We appreciate the compassion shown by the Alumni Chapter. The learners are happy; it bridges the gap. Thank you for giving us love. You are a unique university. We call on all communities to follow this example and start donating to our schools.”
Dr Kemmonye Gracious Amos from the chapter committee said the gesture reflects the NWU’s ongoing commitment to education beyond its campuses. “This is about planting seeds of hope. We believe in nurturing talent from all corners of society, and this is one of the ways we give back to the communities that raised us.”
For the learners at Naledi Senior Secondary School, the pencil cases are more than supplies. They are reminders that someone is paying attention, that even from across a border, alumni still walk beside them, one equation, one exam and one future at a time.
Members of the NWU Botswana Alumni Chapter hand over mathematics sets, pens, and pencils to learners and a teacher as part of a corporate social responsibility project aimed at supporting academic excellence in schools.
