When an aunty gets into the boardroom, she must leave the door open for others to come in. When a sister goes to the top, she must let down the ladder for others to climb up too”
– Gogontlejang Phaladi, Founder and Executive Director of Gogontlejang Phaladi Pillar of Hope Organization (GPPHO)
I am a young patriotic, proactive Motswana and African woman leader who is committed to community and nation building. I am an active agent of change and a catalyst for development. Serving people, humanitarian work and being the voice of the voiceless is something that deeply resonates with my soul and has become part and parcel of my life. I believe the world’s ugliness is not solely because of the wrong, evil and selfish doers but it is also made worse by the majority of us who look on, watch and neither say nor do anything. That’s why there is a saying that when the whole world is silent, even one voice is loud enough to be heard. This is the reason that I have dedicated and committed my life since I was five years of age to the development of my country, continent and the world at large and more importantly, leading by example.
2. What are you most proud of?
Taking the road less travelled and thriving. Challenging the status quo and proving those who undermine you wrong and in the end setting the standard. Working in the development space gives me a chance to prove people wrong at so many levels. You get to prove them wrong about thinking that young people should not be taken seriously as they are confused and have no value to add to the conversation. We get to prove those who think women are not competent enough wrong as they believe that women only rise to the top as a result of favours and quotas. Now they get to see women who deliver a whole lot more than babies and a whole better than men. You get to prove wrong those who have false misconceptions about Africa and Africans, and they see that we do not wake up in a jungle and our knowledge base is not limited to what we know from the West. They get to experience extraordinary first-hand leadership of young African woman leaders.
Coming from a marginalized background, I aim to create space for more women from disadvantaged backgrounds to join me in the boardroom, which is very rewarding. I am grateful for all the opportunities I have had to showcase my talents, abilities, and changing the negative perceptions around youth and women’s leadership. Having grown up in a farm as I young girl, I get to interact and participate in decision making with the most influential decision-makers in the global development landscape.
Today as I seat on a Board that gives strategic guidance towards the country’s development at the Office of the President. I am proud, to be listening to and seeing some of the work I have influenced being implemented, impacting lives, influencing transformation and inspiring others to do the same. As a leader, the idea is not to live forever, but to create something that will. I believe that life is not worth living if you don’t spend part of it giving back, serving humanity and serving a course that cannot provide you with anything in return….giving a part of you that you can never have again.
3. Which one thing do you wish you’d done differently?
Everything I did was either a blessing or a lesson which are still very much valuable in my life.
4. What are some of the biggest challenges you have faced? How did you overcome them? What are some of the lessons learned?
Being a woman and a young person working in this space is difficult, sometimes it feels like you win a war to get into a bigger battle. I don’t think there is a woman from my background who has been in this space and never had a moment to break down into tears and wish they have chosen a different path. Woman have to continually deal with being overlooked, undermined, and having to prove yourself even after earning your stripes. Women have to fight hard to show that they are not just pretty faces but are equal to their male peers who seem always to seem to take advantage. I have always said the two biggest challenges I have faced and continued to face are my age and my gender/ sex. I have been undermined many times because of my age, or because I am a female and there are many stories I can narrate relating to this (refer to the book I co-authored, MOMENTS OF INDEPENDENCE, Collegium Publishers).
The most important thing is that these challenges helped me to develop my motto and live by it “always turn challenges into opportunities and pain into power.” I have received invitations written Mr., and that was not just typos because even when I arrive, the expectation was that I would be a man. I have been in professional spaces where I have been called a little girl, not given VIP treatment as my colleagues, and I have on many occasions been the 1 VIP whose name tag is missing. I have also been sent to ask for tea from the restaurant kitchen during a serious meeting that I deserved to sit through without disturbance like everyone else. This is even harder in African settings because we grow up being taught obedience as a way of showing respect to our elders. Unfortunately, this makes way to professional settings resulting in young people and women being undermined because of their biological makeup. I have on occasion found myself in tough situations for speaking against unfair treatment and demanded to be seen and heard.
Unfortunately, some people make you feel bad for speaking out for yourself because “you should be very grateful for even be breathing in this room”? Luckily in most cases, it resulted in a positive and constructive engagement. The truth is that the glass ceiling will always cut whoever shutters it so as African young women leaders, we must expect all these challenges. The key is in how we respond and what we will do to change the system for those coming after us to be treated better. Change might take a long time but must be done.
5. What are some of the opportunities you see for women in health on the African continent?
There is still a lot that needs to be done in Africa particularly on driving and delivering on the transformation agenda. Development and politics are way too significant to be dominated by men hence we women at the forefront. I believe that there are plenty of opportunities for WOMEN IN AFRICA. Gone are the days when women were just spectators and beneficiaries. We birthed nations and built economies post-colonization, it is sad that today we are left on the periphery of leadership and decision making. Gender-based violence is prevalent and on the rise, as young girls’ futures are cut short, violated and sometimes killed, by the people they know and trust. Many women continue to be victims of sexual abuse in humanitarian and fragile settings where sex is used as a weapon of war. Women continue to die mostly in Africa while giving life due to preventable courses.
Despite doing most of the work, women have little ownership of land and low socioeconomic status. These issues affecting women are neither going to be filled by a foreign Government’s aid nor by our many failing leaders and solutions will not fall like manna from the sky. It’s a high time to urgently call women into action to rise, speak up, organize and claim the space. We owe a better future not only to ourselves and our descendants. We are not outnumbered, but we are outorganized. When a woman gets into the boardroom, she must leave the door open for others to come in. When a sister goes to the top, she must let down the ladder for others to climb up too. Let us organize and mobilize ourselves and support each other’s efforts.
Just like women have bridal showers and baby showers, its time for women to start having business showers and support each other in entrepreneurial ventures. Let us have school showers and help women who want to advance academically. Let us have leadership showers and rally behind one of us vying for a leadership position and build her capacity. We don’t want any more women to lose elections just because she could not buy enough t-shirts. Let us mobilize and go to the rural areas to empower the girl child, so she could realize that she is destined for greatness. Let’s make it easy for successful women adopt younger mentees through platforms like PAWH. Let us do more and do it together. Women have every right to claim their rightful places in society and governance. This is some of the work my organization is doing through our girls and young women’s empowerment mentorship programme dubbed SIMI (She Is My Inspiration).
6. What advice do you have for other women in health?
THIS IS TO ALL WOMEN GENERALLY, BASED ON MY EXPERIENCES IN VARIOUS SPACES
Know your value, your worth, never settle for less and never let anyone tell you that you are not good enough. Have standards so that people who want to be in your life will rise to meet them. People have as much power over you as you are willing to give them. The world will not be fair and does not owe you anything. You have to make the most of what you have and what is available to you. You should be unapologetic about being born a female, embrace your feminity, stay true to who you are and know that your attitude will determine your altitude.
Be proud and grateful to be born as a girl child and strive to be a woman of substance, a powerful force to be reckoned with, a woman who bends and doesn’t break. Be the pillar of strength, an active agent of change and a catalyst of development. Command that the world respects you as a woman of honor, dignity, respect, and compassion. Demand to be judged by your capabilities, your character, and intellect but not by gender through your actions. I am a living example that women are wonderfully made to prosper and succeed. If I can make it, so can you. It is not going to be easy, but it will be worth it.
Remember Tyra Banks was once told she has a big forehead, Oprah Winfrey was told that she is too ugly for television, but they managed to realize their dreams and succeed. The only real limits we have in our lives are the ones that we put in front of ourselves. Rise above, turn your challenges into opportunities and pain into power. Believe in yourself and do not be deterred from your course. Always remember you are destined for greatness.
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