Mentoring underprivileged youth in rural Botswana
A leader in social entrepreneurship, Kagiso is fulfilling her drive to inspire change in her current role as Gender and Communications Analyst for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The UNDP helps countries to develop policies, leadership skills, institutional capabilities and build resilience in order to sustain development results.
This role builds on Kagiso’s many, many achievements.
Kagiso founded Nayang Association in 2014. This organisation aims to reform the lives of under-privileged youth in remote areas of Botswana. Its goal is to donate, support and implement sustainable development projects. Kagiso remains Chairperson of this organisation and has an active role as a mentor for their ‘Now for Them,’ providing a source of professional inspiration and guidance to secondary school children.
Kagiso’s MA has propelled her work in other ways. Kagiso secured the position of Lead Researcher for Botswana for Global Integrity’s Africa Integrity Indicators study. A position which led to her role as Media Lecturer at the University of Botswana. The writing experience she gained in these positions resulted in her first (of two) published novels: Tales from the heart of Botswana: Baareng’s Journey.
Kagiso’s determination to inspire change has been recognised. In 2015 she was first runner up in a national literary award; in 2016 she was selected as a Top 30 under 30 inspirational youth in Botswana; and in 2017 she was selected as Botswana’s representative at the African Union’s Youth & Gender summit.
Kagiso believes that Chevening instils inspiration amongst young, ambitious Botswanans and that her scholarship and time in the UK will continue to drive and impact her career:
“The MA that Chevening funded opened doors for my professional growth and personal development. Chevening exposed me to what the world has to offer in terms of different life experiences and networking opportunities with people from different races, countries and backgrounds. The networking sessions arranged by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office helped build my confidence and I made connections with young professionals in my field of interest from different countries.”