17 Oct 2018

First Lady Neo Masisi has implored young girls to take their studies seriously as education creates knowledge, builds confidence and breaks down barriers to opportunities.

Addressing girls during the First Lady’s Girls Summit in Palapye on October 16, she said “Education makes you a better citizen, parent, colleague and friend. The one thing that cannot be taken away from you is your education”.

She urged them to set goals, write them down, believe in them and always measure how far they were progressing.

“Do not be afraid to dream big, even if you fail along the way, get up and go.”

Ms Masisi said ‘life is about choices’ and advised the girls to always ensure that the choices they made would better their lives.

“Ask yourself; does it help with achieving my goals, will my parents or family be proud of me, will I be proud of my choice even in the future, does this choice make me a responsible student?”

She also urged girls to protect and guard their value tags. A value tag is an unwritten value that one places on herself. It  comes from within.

“It guides you and is a constant reminder of who you are,” she said.

A value tag, she said, was delicate and once lost or devalued was difficult to get back.

Regarding social media, the first lady said it was like one’s footprint and therefore should be used wisely.

The girls’ summit, which was held under the theme; #BreakingBarriers, was inspired by a project that is being run by the Office of the First Lady of Namibia dubbed #BeFree.

The #BeFree platform facilitates difficult conversations on topics such as teenage pregnancy, depression, violence, substance abuse, reproductive health, sexual violence and poor parenting.

Ms Masisi, who happened to attend one such session in Namibia, said she was impressed at the openness of the youth.

“I was inspired to replicate what Namibia was doing. I see it as an effective way of engaging with young people,” she said.

She said one of her key focus areas was to play a major role in supporting programmes aimed at imparting life skills to young people between the ages of eight and 18.

“I would like to see girls flourish, reach their optimum potential, dream big and be able to face the realities of this world without fear. I would like to see girls who are not afraid to speak out, who view the world with optimism and ambition,” she said.

She thanked UNFPA Botswana for coming on board, when she expressed the desire to host a forum that would bring together young people to talk openly about issues that affected them.

The First Lady said her ultimate goal was to reach out and connect with as many girls as possible around the country, mainly to hear their stories and share some inspiring stories and give guidance that would arm them with life skills.

She said she would not forget boys, but in the meantime her focus was on girls because many issues affected the girl child.

Meanwhile, Kgosi Masego Olebile of Palapye said it was important to impart young girls with life skills at a tender age, as they were the backbone of the country and needed to be given the foundation. ENDS