The Kast Foundation, in collaboration with the United States Embassy, is coordinating a social entrepreneurship project called Earth Angels, with the aim of bringing behavior change and management amongst the Botswana youth.
Earth Angels is a behavioral change and life skills program targeting primary, secondary and tertiary schools.
The pilot project consists of three programmes, which are I AM, Goddess and Creative Nation.
The three programmes have been developed and are spearheaded by notable Botswana youth leaders, Tumie Ramsden, Zeus, Tshepo Ntshole, Lebogang Maruapula, Gwen Isaacs and Gaolebale.
These programs are all targeted at the variety of social ills and the drivers of the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
Kast Foundations Project Coordinator, Salim Kegodile, told the Sunday Standard that the Goddess programme is a mentorship and empowerment programme for the girl child and is a brainchild of Tumie Ramsden.
He said the Goddess focuses on the challenges being faced by the girl child, such as rape, child abuse in various forms, amongst other issues.
IAM programme by Zeus is aimed at making the youths conscious of who they are and be able to control themselves as rights go with responsibility. Kegodile said Olebogeng Tsiako creative nation uses creative expression as a tool for behavioral change. He said the programme is aimed at utilizing arts for communication amongst the youths.
He added that the aim of social entrepreneurship is to further social and environmental goals in the country.
The project will run for a period of four months and will be limited to Gaborone.
“The program will have two elements; the first and primary element will be made up of the social enterprise members in the various schools and communities that the mentors will be running their programs in,” he said.
He added that all the members of the various social programs will all be trained through workshops and interactive sessions as social entrepreneurs by and through the content provided by the Kast Foundation and partner organizations. Kegodile said the primary element made up of the social enterprise members will be the long term and measurable element of the program.
“With a positive outlook and life skills gained from all the programs and mentors, and the management skills gained from social entrepreneurship, the future leaders will have a chance to pay it forward and apply all the skills gained practically by being part of edutainment events in other schools, where they can interact and share with their peers,” said Kegodile.
He said the edutainment events will be a second and secondary element of the program, adding that they have used edutainment as a tool to better engage youths, so they can get vital information on matters of social relevance.
The programs will be rolled out at different schools and institutions. Ramsden’s goddess programme will be conducted at the YWCA, Maruapula, SOS and SAPSSI.
For Creative Nation the schools and institutions are University of Botswana, Limkokwing and Botho College.
The IAM project will be rolled out at Naledi SS, Livingstone Kolobeng College, Moselewapula and Legae Academy.
For more information, please contact Kast Foundation on: 3906428/71217610 or write to [email protected]
