12 Oct 2023

The ‘Take a girl child to work’ initiative opens doors of learning beyond the classroom and helps participating girls to understand which career paths to pursue, thus giving them purpose and momentum in their studies. 

First Lady Ms Neo Masisi said this at the UNICEF and UNFPA initiative networking session in Gaborone Wednesday. 

She encouraged the girls 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. 

Ms Masisi also applauded government departments and corporations that allowed the girls to job shadow with them.

She said by allowing the children to be part of their staff for one day, they opened doors for them as they exposed them to various careers and piqued their interest, motivating them to complete their secondary education so they may pursue the careers to which they had been exposed. 

One of the participating learners Ms Polite from Madiba secondary school praised the initiative saying ‘it was a mind-blowing experience.’ 

Ms Polite who was job shadowing at Yarona Fm said she was amazed at how females worked together in unity to empower each other, adding that demonstrated the power in femininity. 

She urged other girls to stay away from social media which she said was not beneficial, but damaging to them. 

Ms Polite also implored her peers to take care of their childhood as it eventually determined their adulthood. UNICEF Representative, Dr Joan Matji said they were hopeful that more girls would be taken to work next year through the intiative, following feedback responses from the girls who participated. 

The initiative was one of the activities for the International Day of the Girl Child. Some of the corporations which participated in the initiative included Yarona FM, Absa Bank, Avani and Botswana Post among others. Ends