Community Leader
After working for a number of years in different institutions around the country, Kitso Bapaki decided to go back to his roots and relocated to his home village, Lerala. Once settled he became actively involved in community work.
In the years 2006 and 2007 he volunteered at Kukujwe Primary School, where he assisted arts and design pupils with their studies and helped improve the school’s overall results.
“I also volunteered as coach of the Lerala Community Junior Secondary School softball team, helping the school team to proceed to the national championships,” he says.
Bapaki actively participates as a volunteer in various community projects.
He serves as a master of ceremonies during kgotla meetings and Independence Day celebrations. At the moment he is active as a member of the BOT50 preparations committee, as a youth chairperson at Lerala village and as a youth leader at the Assemblies of God church, where he encourages and inspires others through the word of God.
“I am an artist, so I like to regularly decorate the kgotla free of charge in preparation for community events. I did the decor when the independence celebrations roving torch passed through my village, and I also volunteered to design the BOT50 logo. For that I used a technique with wires and discarded newspapers,” says Bapaki.
He also operates a small business, which he started with his own funds. His business provides photocopying, photography and secretarial services to the residents of Lerala.
His business came as a welcome relief to the community as residents previously had to travel long distances to access the type of services that are now offered locally.
Since February this year, Bapaki has been assisting both the youth and elderly members of the community with their paperwork if they want to register their own businesses.
He transports their business and company registration forms free of charge from Lerala to the district headquarters in Serowe.
So far he has been able to help 30 members of the community to register their own businesses.
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