26 Sep 2023

 More than 100 female junior secondary school students were given an opportunity to explore STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) career possibilities.

The event held in Gaborone on Friday was made possible by De Beers Group, Ministry of Education and Skills Development, and WomEng, a non-profit subsidiary of WomHub with the aim to empower young girls and bridge the gap in the field of STEM.

This initiative is part of a three-year commitment to engage and inspire 10 000 girls and women in STEM by the year 2030, Corporate Affairs Manager at DTC Botswana, Mr MacDonald Motsele, said.

Mr Motsele said participants were from various junior secondary schools in Gaborone and surrounding areas who had a chance to interact with engineers from De Beers and DTCB, accomplished Batswana professionals, and young women engineers from the Southern Africa Fellowship programme.

He said the programme was sponsored by the De Beers Group and endeavoured to provide comprehensive training to university students in Namibia, Botswana, and South Africa.

He said at DTC Botswana and through their promise to ensure pride and prosperity through diamonds, they remained committed to partnering on initiatives that sustainably impact livelihoods that include a focus on children and education.

For her part, De Beers Group Vice President - Corporate Affairs Ms Otsile Mabeo, said through their Building Forever Framework, they strived to be an active partner in support of the communities in which they operate.

Ms Mabeo said they had a deliberate and focused effort to improve inclusion and diversity among communities, citing that they also recognized the critical role of STEM in driving economic growth and innovation.

She said they were always looking for purposeful ways to ignite a passion for STEM among young girls and help them envision a future where they could excel in these fields as well as create a more equitable and promising future.

Meanwhile, Chief Operating Officer at WomHub, Ms Anjani Harjeven, emphasized their dedication to bridging gender disparities in STEM by working to create a lasting difference in underserved communities.

“Our GirlEng ‘Ask An Engineer’ initiative, developed in collaboration with De Beers Group and DTCB, embodies our collective commitment to achieving gender equality in STEM professions,” she said.

Ms Harjeven said they adopted a holistic approach to inspire and empower young girls, enabling them to pursue careers that brought positive contributions to their communities and the world at large. ENDS