04 May 2022

Career Dreams Centre has funded 10 young women from disadvantaged backgrounds in Maun, to study tourism and hospitality management.
The 10 women, identified by Women Against Rape (WAR) organisation, come from disadvantaged backgrounds caused by GBV, poverty, and teenage pregnancy, among others.

Speaking at the project launch on Tuesday, Career Dreams Centre director Mr Kenneth Karanja stated that the course, estimated to cost P140 000, would run for six months.
He highlighted that the women, whose ages ranged between 19-24, would be trained in kitchen management, housekeeping, computer application, customer care and interpersonal skills; among others.He stated that the project termed: Young girls rise, came about upon realising that challenges forced many young girls to abandon their dreams.

Mr Karanja indicated that as a tourism and hospitality school in Maun, they saw it necessary to extend a helping hand to young girls, who deserved a second chance.
He encouraged the recipients to work hard so that they reap the benefits of the sponsorship.

“This is an opportunity of a lifetime and I encourage you to be committed and do everything that is required to ensure you complete this programme,” he said.’’
WAR Board of Trustees member, Mr Herbert Mwiba told the young women that they were blessed to have been identified among other many girls in Maun and implored them to dedicate themselves to achieve excellence in the short course.

He encouraged them to believe in themselves, to overcome any challenges they may face, while studying.
He said a lot of resources had been invested in this programme, from different tourism and hospitality companies in Maun, who pledged to offer industrial attachment to the recipients upon completion of the course.

Senior Gender Officer in the North West District, Ms Gosalamang Modimoosi thanked Career Dreams Centre and WAR for partnering, to bring this project to fruition.
She stated that girls were forced by hardships to abandon their dreams as some assumed parenting roles at a young age, while other faced GBV.

She indicated that it was important to give people second chances in life, so that they could have a better and promising future.She said the project was in line with the Vision 2036 goal for Botswana to be an empowered nation to achieve prosperity for all.Ms Modimoosi said this project had positively impacted 10 families, adding that it was upon the girls to work hard and complete the course successfully.

Accepting the sponsorship, one of beneficiaries, Ms Amantle Mohaladi stated that this was an opportunity of a lifetime for them and promised that they would work hard.
Ms Mohaladi, a tertiary education dropout, stated that this was a second chance for many of them to prove that second chances were important.

She highlighted that despite some of the recipients having failed mainstream education, she believed that they would redeem themselves as this was a practical course, that required them to apply some of the basic life skills that they already had.

The 23-year-old thanked Career Dreams and other stakeholders for funding their education and ensuring the project was a success. ENDS