Teacher moved by compassion to venture into philanthropy

Thandiwe Taboka MoalosiZomba is a teacher and a philanthropist willing to change other people’s lives for the better.

She is from a household of teachers, and says learning from all the teachers in her family has taught her humility. “My father and father-in-law are both former head teachers, my two older siblings are teachers and I am teacher as well,” MoalosiZomba says. She did not have it easy growing up, as she was always bullied by other children at school. This disrupted her and lowered her confidence.

Nonetheless, she had to grow a backbone to continue enjoying school and completing her studies. “Growing up I was a bullied child. I remember my mother transferring me to a certain English medium school and I must say it was not easy. I then had to live with my father in Ratholo. Following that I went to Mater Spei College and Tabitha Private School,” she explained.

She was bullied because she was not academically gifted. She was also skinny and had all other students body shaming her. However, she did well in her senior secondary school examinations and was admitted to the University of Botswana but would soon be labelled a school dropout as she got a fail and discontinue assessment during the course of her tertiary education journey at the university. “Honestly I was playful and got delayed by too much entertainment,” she admits, adding that this was a lesson enough for her. She would then go to train as a teacher at Tonota College of Education and graduated with merit, and was awarded the best student in Teaching Practice.

Despite all the challenges she faced, she knew that she would someday be able to contribute positively to her community. The Francistownborn and raised native drew confidence in her achievements and became a motivational speaker, and philanthropist. During her teaching days, she recalls learning that two of her students were bitten by a snake that had entered inside their incomplete shelter. This did not settle well with her and together with some of her generous friends, they renovated the house.

She has also assisted Lephoi Centre in Francistown, along with Miss Francistown 2015, with clothes and food items. She also started a donation of sanitary pads campaign to restore dignity of those in need. Among schools to benefit from the donation drive was Shanganani Junior Secondary School, Donga and other village communities. She prefers assisting in rural areas because they are out of reach of many amenities.

She has previously partnered with her friends and well-wishers to donate school shoes, pairs of socks, jackets, shirts and N90 masks to those in need. In Boteti Region at Motsumi Junior Secondary School in Letlhakane, she donated 40 brand new school shirts to students from Khwee Village. Just recently, she has been based at Maenjani Junior Secondary School in Sekakangwe North East village, and found time to do philanthropy work. “Sadly my tenure there ended before I could do more for those in need. I however came back to the school this time not as a teacher but a philanthropist. I donated school uniforms and groceries as per request by the school management,” she says.

Early this month, she was at Selolwe Junior Secondary School where she gifted two students during their prize giving ceremony, providing for awards of Best In Science as well as Overall Best Student.