Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a core pillar of Botho University (BU). CSR is embedded in the BU culture to the extent that it forms part of the key performance indicator of every department. In its endeavour to make a difference in the society, the Department of Accounting and Finance (DAF) on the 25th of August 2021 donated grocery items and toiletries to the Botswana Gender Based Violence Prevention and Support Centre (BGBVC formerly known as Kagisano Women’s Shelter).

BGBVC is an organisation established to promote a peaceful, safe, and just society which is free from Gender-Based Violence (GBV). Since the organisation provides temporary shelter and community outreach programmes, the DAF saw it fit to donate goods to be used at the institutions’ shelters.

The Dean of the Faculty of Business and Accounting (FBA), Dr. R. P. Machera, on behalf of Botho University Vice Chancellor (VC), handed over the grocery items to BGBVC’s Monitoring and Evaluation Officer. The Dean and the DAF’s Head of Department, Dr. S. Mbulawa, emphasized the importance of the role being played by BGBVC, more so in the face of COVID 19, where people are working from home and spending more time with their spouses and children. They indicated that possibly because of spending more time at home, conflicts are arising, resulting in increased cases of Gender-Based Violence.

Creating a peaceful and safe society is essential for the well-being of both students and parents. There is also a need to research on the impact of COVID 19 and the working from home policy adopted by many companies on Gender-Based Violence. The CSR initiative by BU has created a room for possible collaboration between BGBVC and BU to address issues of GBV.