The programme will provide a platform to women and girls to grow their skills in the game. Speaking during the launch, Kgathi said she is passionate about women's sport, especially rugby as it has given her many opportunities. “We have nine mentees; we have categorised them into three strengths of rugby being leadership, match officiating and coaching,” she said. Mentees under the match official category are Lethabile Kebabone, Botho Bosele and Bridget Majama whilst those under the coaching section there is Refilwe Kgweenyane, Kebafilwe Mfolwe, and Kutlo Mmualefe. Scarlette Motsi, Vetina Elias and Hazen Monyatsi have been identified for the leadership programme. Kgathi, who is also the AUSC Region 5 regional trainer, said they are going to facilitate workshops and courses for the mentees. She said they will also do assignments and design curriculum for the mentees that resonate with what they are trying to achieve.
For her part, Ketshabile said the mentorship programme is deeply rooted in empowerment opportunities and meaningful change. “My journey in rugby has been that of passion, persistence and purpose. I have been a player, a coach, administrator and an official. Women in rugby are capable, but capabilities alone are not enough. Women in rugby are certified but not integrated. To our surprise, we have over 15 level two certified coaches but only three are actively coaching. Since the inception of the Botswana Rugby Union (BRU) in 1994, there have been only two women centre referees,” she said. Ketshabile said at the core of the Trytogether Women’s Rugby Mentorship is the principle of each one, teach one. She said the bigger picture is to ensure that every woman in rugby has the mentorship, guidance and network to grow. “This is not just our belief, but an idea that has resonated far beyond the borders. When we met with World Rugby, they recognised Trytogether as the first programme of its kind throughout the world. It is designed to address the gap between qualification and participation,” Ketshabile said. Meanwhile, Women and Sport Botswana (WASBO) chairperson, Keenese Katisenge-Tizhane, said they did a baseline survey in 2017 across all sporting codes at all levels, which indicated that Botswana was at 19.5% in terms of representation of women and girls representation in sport.
She said another survey was done in 2022 and the indication was that there was growth of one percent. “It is important that we work together to ensure that we attract more women and girls in sport. The major thing we are struggling with is retention of women and girls in sport,” she said. Katisenge-Tizhani said the Trytogether Women’s Rugby Mentorship would assist the sport sector to retain women and girls in sport as a whole. She said the mentorship programme is not only about rugby, it is about creating opportunities for young girls and women to excel in coaching, officiating and leadership roles.
