The Drongo School of Leadership in collaboration with the Botoka Foundation held a heartwarming award ceremony to mark the end of the first week of an innovative youth empowerment programme, this past Friday in Maun.
The initiative, which targets Form 3 students who did not qualify for tertiary education, aims to refocus and realign their futures by helping them discover new possibilities beyond the classroom.
The ceremony, held in a hall filled with eager young faces, featured an inspiring keynote address from Kate Nelson, General Manager of Operations at Kwando Safaris. Nelson shared her personal story of resilience, detailing her turbulent journey as a young adult juggling both work and study. Drawing lessons from her late mother, she captivated the audience with a message of hope and determination, urging the students to tap into their passions to unlock infinite possibilities.
“When you are passionate about something, you can create a world of opportunity. You are not limited by where you are right now,” Nelson told the attentive crowd.
The initiative, a five-day workshop spread over four weeks, brought together 32 Form 3 students who found themselves out of school after not meeting the qualifications for further education. The goal is to reorient their thinking, preparing them with practical workplace skills while encouraging them to pursue alternative pathways to success.
Thati Phoi, founder of the Botoka Foundation, emphasized the importance of intervening early.
“At 16, many of these youths are at a crossroads. Without guidance, some of the girls may face teenage pregnancy, while the boys may become vulnerable to crime. This programme is about realigning their motives and giving them the tools to take control of their lives,” Phoi said.
The programme’s relevance is underscored by concerning statistics from the recent Junior Certificate Examination (JCE) results, where only 36.31% of students achieved grades C or better, with North West Region sitting in position 10 out of 10 with 29.04%. Females fared slightly better nationally at 43.50% while males averaged 28.83% leaving approximately 63.69% of candidates with grades D to X. These outcomes leave thousands of 16-year-olds with limited opportunities, unqualified for tertiary education and lacking the skills for gainful employment.
Botswana’s Employment Act further complicates the issue, prohibiting children under 15 from any form of employment, and restricting those under 18 from engaging in hazardous work. As a result, many of these youths are confined to low-skilled labor markets, if they can find work at all.
The Drongo-Botoka initiative, however, aims to reach up to 200 such youths, equipping them with the mindset and motivation to seek out alternative futures. For many, the workshop has already sparked hope.
“I’ve always dreamed of being a pilot,” shared one of the participants. “After failing my JCE, I thought that dream was over. But this workshop showed me that there’s still a way, and now I believe I can make it happen.”
At the close of the workshop, all participants received certificates of completion—not formal academic credentials, but symbols of a new beginning. While they may not yet hold degrees, or certificates, they left the programme with something just as valuable: a renewed sense of purpose and hope for the future.
