Dare to Dream Botswana
Commonwealth Point of Light 80. Kgomotso Phatsima
Captain Kgomotso Phatsima, representing Botswana, is the founder of ‘Dare to Dream’, a ground-breaking programme which is supporting young women to forge careers in aviation.
As one of the first female officers in the Botswana Defence Force to ever fly a military plane, Captain Kgomotso Phatsima was inspired to help other young women follow in her footsteps. From encouraging the take-up of STEM subjects to creating aviation clubs in schools, she is helping young women to achieve their dreams in a traditionally male-dominated industry. Captain Kgomotso also co-founded ‘Women in Aviation Botswana’, an organisation that offers mentoring, funding and scholarship opportunities to young women who are seeking to enter the industry. In 2017 she was recognised as Best Female of the Year in the Botswana Youth Awards and this year she was selected to participate in the Obama Foundation’s Africa Leadership Programme.
The award for Captain Kgomotso Phatsima was presented on 3 December at the British High Commission in Gaborone by Katharine Ransome, UK High Commissioner in Botswana.
Katharine Ransome, UK High Commissioner in Botswana, said:
“Captain Kgomotso Phatsima is a trail blazer and phenomenal young woman. Her amazing work is empowering the next generation of aviation professionals and her passion for STEM education awareness is encouraging more girls to take up these important subjects. Her non-profit organisation ‘Dare to Dream’ continues to inspire women and girls to have the confidence to pursue non-traditional career choices. We are delighted that she is being recognised as one of the Commonwealth Points of Light.”
Captain Kgomotso Phatsima said:
“Words cannot describe how touched and humbled I am for this highly regarded international recognition. I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely pass my deepest gratitude to Her Majesty The Queen and the British High Commission for recognising the work and impact that we have been doing at ‘Dare to Dream’ in developing the Next Generation of STEM Aviation Business Leaders of Tommorrow. It is truly an honour to be receiving the Commonwealth Points of Light Award on behalf of the Dream Team and for my country. The receipt of this award is a major incentive and inspiration to pursue our goal towards setting up a STEM Aviation Leadership Centre, a Tech hub the first of its kind in Botswana and helping to shape the lives of the upcoming generation with Coding, Entrepreneurship and STEM.”