05 Dec 2018

 Captain Kgomotso Phatsima, a female military pilot of the Botswana Defence Force, has been recognised as the 80^th Commonwealth Point of Light, in honour of her exceptional voluntary service supporting young women to forge careers in aviation.

Captain Phatsima received a personalised certificate signed by Head of the Commonwealth,  Queen Elizabeth II, presented by the British High Commissioner to Botswana, Ms Katy Ransome on December 3 in Gaborone.

As a child growing up, Captain Phatsima used to stand outside her home and watch planes fly overhead; an experience she said was exciting. 

That was when an idea to become a pilot was born. 

She would later on become a teacher after completing her studies, with a lot of pressure emanating from her family who had advised her against pursuing a career in aviation. 

But when the BDF called on females to join the army in 2007, Captain Phatsima left her teaching job just after eight months, followed her heart and joined the Army to become one of the first female military pilots.

After she and her female counterparts made it to the top within a male-dominated industry, Captain Phatsima felt duty-bound to mentor young people achieve their dream careers in the aviation sector.

She founded Dare to dream, a ground-breaking programme meant to support and inspire young women to follow her footsteps and forge careers in aviation. 

The programme also encourages young women to take up Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects and create aviation clubs in schools to help them achieve their dreams in a traditionally male-dominated industry.

Captain Phatsima also co-founded Women in Aviation Botswana, an organisation that offers mentoring, funding and scholarship opportunities to young women who are seeking to enter the industry.

“My dream is to set out the first STEM Aviation Centre, a technology-hub in Botswana. 

My organisation has been donated two aeroplanes, we want to refurbish and turn them into a STEM technology-hub. 

I believe that with this Point of Light Award, and the support of our leadership, we can achieve this,” she said.

For her part, Ms Ransome commended Captain Phatsima for her work in empowering young women to pursue their dreams. 

“Captain Phatsima is a trailblazer and phenomenal young woman whose amazing work is empowering the next generation of aviation professionals and her passion for STEM education awareness are encouraging more girls to take up these important subjects. 

Her Dare to Dream organisation continues to inspire women and girls to have the confidence to pursue non-traditional career choices,” she added.

The Commonwealth Point of Light Awards recognise outstanding volunteers whose services are making a difference in their communities and whose story can inspire others to create solutions to social challenges in their own communities and beyond. ENDS