The Maun Flood Raffle 2025 has officially closed with gesture of community solidarity, raising more than P166,000 and handing over equal donations of P83,270 each to Women Against Rape (WAR) and Polokong Elderly Care.
The initiative, co-organised by Hennie and Jake Rawlinson, brought together the excitement of the floodwaters reaching Maun with a raffle that engaged thousands of residents and international supporters. For Jake, the success of the campaign carries both pride and meaning. “We’re just very proud of the way that the Maun community came together to have some fun and celebrate the flood coming into Maun and then raise so much money for these crucial yet underfunded charities,” he told Ngami Times.
What began as a light-hearted community game during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020 has since evolved into a structured charitable initiative with international reach. “This all started just to have a bit of fun during lockdown in 2020 and it’s grown to what it is today,” Jake explained. “We just wanted to make sure that we could make a difference because we really mobilised the whole Maun community and we saw the potential to make a difference to these charities and the people that they support.”
Both charities welcomed the donations as a timely lifeline amid dwindling funding opportunities.
Peggie Ramaphane, Executive Director of WAR, highlighted how urgent the support is at this moment: “The gesture from Hennie Rawlinson and his son Jake to plan and deliver the Maun Flood Arrival 2025 is a lifeline that WAR needed and appreciates immensely,” she said. “The donation of P83,270 will keep the doors of WAR offices open while we continue searching for funds to sustain the organisation as a going concern. This support will cover daily costs such as telephones, internet, electricity and fuel, and will even allow us to pay employee salaries while we wait for potential funders to come through.”
Ramaphane stressed that the timing could not have been better. “The funding landscape has changed since the pandemic, and the stoppage of U.S. funding has worsened the situation. Many civil society organisations are competing for the same shrinking pool of funds, and for WAR this has been a major challenge. This community-led initiative has come at exactly the right time.”
Polokong Elderly Care, which provides shelter and care for vulnerable elders, also described the contribution as transformative. Director Beauty Bogwasi wrote in a letter of thanks: “This is not just a financial contribution, it is a beautiful reflection of compassion, unity, and a shared commitment to dignifying and cherishing the elderly in our community. Your donation will go directly toward ensuring that the elderly at Polokong are cared for with dignity, warmth, and joy.”
Looking to the future, Jake confirmed that the flood raffle will continue annually. “I think we’ll do this same thing every single year on years that the flood reaches Maun. The people in Maun love the whole predicting game, and now that we’ve set up this whole process we get to make a big difference too.”
What started as a playful prediction game has become one of Maun’s most meaningful fundraisers, reinforcing the power of community and tradition. As Ramaphane summed it up: “This initiative has not only kept WAR’s doors open, it has shown us that the people of Maun believe in the work we do and are willing to stand with us. That means more than words can express.”
