Gaborone, Botswana- To commemorate this year’s International Day of the Girl Child, UNFPA and UNICEF collaborated with the Ministry of Education and the private sector to empower girls through the Take a Girl Child to Work initiative. 

Commemorated under the theme Invest in Girl’s Rights: Our Leadership, Our Wellbeing, the initiative, which was the first of its kind in the country, aimed at giving girls from high schools, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, exposure to different career opportunities through job shadowing. Another goal of the initiative was to deepen the thinking of the girl child with regard to their infinite roles in society, enhance her self-esteem, and inspire and motivate her to reach her full potential through exposure to diverse careers and positive role models to assist her in preparing for the world of work. The day’s activities started at each participating host organization, where girls were paired with mentors and worked from morning until late afternoon, followed by a networking session where the First Lady of Botswana Ms. Neo Jane Masisi officiated.

In the spirit of leaving no one behind, UNFPA hosted five visually impaired and blind girls from Pudulogong Rehabilitation and Development Trust for the Blind. Throughout the day, the girls had the opportunity to shadow the UNFPA team from programme management, communications, finance, operations, and the Head of Office in their daily activities. 

“We at UNFPA believe that every girl is born with boundless potential to learn and thrive, to lead, inspire, and change the world! And leaving no one behind is at the centre of our work; that is why for us, hosting Pudolong students came so naturally to us,” said the UNFPA Botswana Head of Office, Ms. Tlangelani Shilubane-Pietersen.

When reflecting on the opportunity, one of the girls, One Modisaotsile, had this to say: “This is such a life-changing experience for me! Today, for the first time, I got in an elevator, sat in a boardroom, and learned about various career opportunities in the United Nations. And meeting Tsaone Mosweu, who is blind and works for UNFPA, has really inspired me and demonstrated that indeed, if you believe in yourself, you can achieve your dreams.” She further urged UNFPA to continue creating opportunities and opening doors for young people, particularly those with disabilities.

Private sector engagement

Over twenty (20) organizations participated in this initiative, ranging from UN agencies, development partners, embassies, high commissions, and the private sector, hosting close to 100 girls from over 10 high schools. Participating high schools included those from Gaborone, such as St. Joseph’s College, Ledumang, Gaborone Senior School, and Mogoditshane Senior School, and those from outside the city, such as Madiba Senior, Takatokwane, Lobatse Senior, Bobonong Senior, and Molefi Senior Schools.

“This year, we took the International Day of the Girl Child a notch higher through the job shadowing experience. A special thanks to all the organizations that hosted the girls and exposed them to the world of work,” said Dr. Joan Matji, UNICEF Representative, when welcoming the guests to the Women and Girls Roundtable closing ceremony.

In her official address, the First Lady, Ms. Neo Jane Masisi, encouraged the girl who participated in the initiative to share knowledge with other girls and the boy child and implored them to further explore the opportunities they were exposed to and not take them for granted. She applauded all the organizations that participated in the initiative and allowed the girls to job shadow with them. 

“By allowing these girls to be part of your staff for one day, you opened doors for them, exposed them to various careers, and piqued their interest, motivating them to complete their secondary education so they may pursue the careers through which they had been exposed,” she said.

The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Ms. Miriam Maroba, said her ministry fully supports job shadowing for learners and committed that the Take a Girl Child to Work initiative will be done annually and will be institutionalized.