Botswana Youth Portal is an initiative that aims at facilitating better access to developmental youth information and enable the youth to access global opportunities as well as enhancing young people’s participation in public life and to stimulate youth activism by sharing positive stories of community development and activism in Botswana.
The platform has cultivated focus in these key areas:
- Education
- Employment
- Entrepreneurship
- Health
- Personal Development
- Opportunities
- Gov Info
- and more
Founders
Virginia Chepete
Virginia Chepete is a 24 year old lady from Molepolole, Botswana who is passionate about helping people to become the best they can ever be. She is currently studying Medicine at University of Pretoria. She is the managing director of Tsholofelo Motivational Speakers (PTY) LTD, The founder of Botswana Youth Entrepreneurs and Tsholofelo Mentorship Programme. She is a member of Pretoria Tshwane toastmasters and one of the conveners of Botho Entrepreneursip hub.She is a motivational speaker,success coach,entrepreneur and author of Accelerate your way to the top and Let go of the past and move on. She currently does daily motivation on Today’s Best radio, Inanda 88.4 FM and she writes inspirational and business articles for The Zambezian newspaper, Youth Village and The SEED magazine.
Bruce Dube
Bruce Dube is a 25 year old social entrepreneur with cultivated interest in Africa’s development, particularly capitalizing on it’s demographic dividend. Bruce has won prizes for his youth work, spoken on local and international forums about Youth Development . He has also been listed on lists like the British Council’s top 60 Global Change Makers in 2012, UNAIDS South Africa ” Young Movers and Shakers 2013″ , Tech4Africa top 10 Finalist 2012, SA Innovation Summit top 5 and World Bank’s top 5 prominent young people in Latin America and Africa 2013 among other listings. He is currently the Managing Director of iConcept Media, a ICT and Audio Visual Production company which owns a number of youth enterprises in Africa .
Board of Advisors
Metlha Ishmael Mokwena- Chairperson of Botswana Youth Council
Metlha is currently the Botswana Youth Council Chairperson. He is also qualified Accountant and a member of the BOTSWANA INSTITUTE OF ACCOUNTANTS (BIA). Currently working as a full time accountant at FIRST CLASS ACCOUNTANTS a local accounting firm offering Accounting, Company Secretaries, and Business Consultancy services. Metlha played a critical role in setting up the business, inducting staff and setting up systems needful for the successful running and operation of the business. He oversaw all the accounting and finance functions of the business and managing relations between the business and their clients. As a senior staff member, It was his duty to strategise ways to market the business to the local community and find clients.Metlha’s other professional experiences are working as an accountant at H & A Cutting A subsidiary of Grant and Thornton and as an assistant accountant at Clover Chemicals. We welcome him and the invaluable financial and administrative acumen that he posesses.
Alicia Gomez Campos-Women’s rights and equality Activist- Brussels, Belgium
Alicia Gomez Campos is a 30 year old from the South of Spain, with a background in Journalism and International Relations she is committed to promote active youth involvement in social change. She has worked as a TV journalist, as a campaigner for Human Rights in Colombia, involving people in volunteering programmes, for Business Angels and currently she works for social, public and cooperative housing in the EU Brussels. She is an active promoter of women’s rights and equality.
Refilwe Sello
Touched by the devastation caused by the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Bostwana, Dr. Sello believed that a medical career would enable her to help reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS in her country. Her commitment to children is demonstrated by her experience as a physician at the Botswana-Baylor Children’s Center of Excellence (COE), a clinic in Gaborone, Botswana, which emphasizes prevention as a strategy to halt the spread of pediatric HIV/AIDS. She was the first woman physician to work at COE, where she conducted research, provided care and advocated for HIV-infected children and their families. She also managed The School Teacher Training Pilot Project. Dr. Sello organized and coordinated an AIDSIMPACT conference entitled “Eliminating Pediatric HIV: Schools as Venues for Managing and Preventing HIV in Botswana” and devoted time to counseling families at an HIV-Positive Teen Club. Dr. Sello has a degree in medicine from the National University of Ireland. Raised in a rural area, she has a deep understanding of the issues that need to be addressed to reduce HIV/AIDS and improve the quality of healthcare for Botswana’s rural population. Prior to her position at COE, Dr. Sello was an intern for the HIV division at WHO, where she conducted research on “disclosure, confidentiality and treatment adherence.” She frequently volunteers her time for public service announcements to promote HIV/AIDS prevention on radio and television.
Lilian Moremi- Founder of Botswana Student Network
Lilian is the founder of Botswana Student Network Society which is mandated to bridge the gap between students, corporates and government and to drive leadership, social responsibility and career advancement. She is also the Coordinator of D?cere Foundation. It is an advancing School Improvement Programs in partnership with the Botswana Ministry of Education and Skills Development. Lastly, she is also a Member of Toastmasters Gaborone Club which nurtures leadership and public speaking skills for its members and she also writes career development articles for Kutlwano Magazine.
Gareth Jones- Managing Director of UK Eduzine Magazine
Gareth Jones is the Eduzine UK Managing Director. His role is Inspiring, promoting, showcasing and celebrating young achievers. DragonZfire Accountant, supporting young entrepreneurs. Focusing on Creative, Leisure and Education industries/sectors. Especially those with disabilities or disadvantaged in some way.
Present Appointments
– Managing Director Eduzine Limited (Oct 2012 – Ongoing)
– Managing Director DragonZfire Limited (July 2013 – Ongoing)
– Managing Editor Eduzine (July 2013 – Ongoing)
– Business Adviser & Finance Director, Urban Voice UK Limited (Aug 2013 – Ongoing)
Phatsimo Mosimanegape-Youth Development Advocate (Member of the UNESCO Youth Forum Committee)
Former Executive Director of YALDA Botswana, Phatsimo is an individual with a passion that runs deep when it comes to issues of Youth Development and Empowerment. Her involvement in Youth Development issues does not begin at YALDA as she has previously been an active member of Youth for Life; an organisation that also contributes to Youth Development with a strong focus on HIV/AIDS related issues. She contributed to this organisation as a Treasurer and later became its Deputy Chairperson. She has represented YALDA and Botswana at different international platforms including the International Youth Conference on Youth & Democratization; Ethiopia, Technical Consultation Meeting on African Youth Charter; Ethiopia, the 8th African Governance Forum; Botswana, YALDA’s 4th Biennial Conference; Nigeria and the Adopt an Idea Initiative in Nigeria. She currently serves YALDA as a Programs Coordinator in Botswana and also as a YALDA Regional Associate for West Africa. Phatsimo is currently the focal Point Person for the Voice Africa’s Future Campaign, an initiative aimed at collecting views of Africa the young people of Botswana want to see beyond 2015.Outside YALDA she is a member of the UNESCO Youth Forum Committee and the BNYC Affiliates Committee.
Gababusiwe Kabo Garechaba- Junior Chamber International Botswana National President
Kabo Gababosiwe Garechaba is a 33-year old youth leader, media practitioner who believes that there are abundant opportunities to create heroes and heroines out of the current crop of youth in Botswana and Africa. He is currently Junior Chamber International Botswana national president and have represented Botswana in Japan,Taiwan,Ghana, and Zimbabwe where he spoke on the opportunities available in Botswana. He is 2012 Global Networker after graduating from the Japanese leadership Academy in 2012.He has won Junior Chamber International Botswana public speaking and debate competitions. He is currently focusing on developing and growing JCI Botswana by establishing new chapters which offers young people development opportunities. He believes that by giving back to communities, the returns always surpass ones giving.
