Botswana: Mathodi Modisapudi

Botswana: Mathodi Modisapudi


Date: November 21, 2020
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 I became gender aware in the year 2015 just a year after I had been appointed Special Elected Councillor for the North East District Council, this was during a district gender protocol summit that was held at Maun between the 24th and 26th of March.”

I come from humble beginnings. The most part of my academic life was unsatisfactory. I had never been a star student during my school years. I ended up failing my form (2) and resorted to selling vegetables in the back of one lady’s van. A few years from that time I met Mr Modisapudi (who is now my husband) but a friend back then’ who recommended a post for me at the North East District Council under the stores department’ in 1993. I did my work for the council satisfactorily and by the year 2003 I left the council to be engaged in personal entrepreneurial ventures. From that time onwards I sustained my business from the day to day profits I made whilst balancing it with engagements in political activities as my husband was also involved in the political market. I stood for elections at my ward back home in Bobirwa and was represented by high ranking officials within the political spectrum. Although I wasn’t at the time successful in my contention i still carried on and believed that one day I will be one of the leading women who will shift expectations in the political dimensions. I started seriously taking part in political activities a short while after me and my husband gathered enough finances to secure a plot in Tatisiding which paved way to the establish of Super Force Supermarket. I got involved in gender work from the time I attended the gender summit in the year 2015. That is after I was appointed specially elected member for the council in 2014. At the time I had been inspired by my Senior Honorable Florah Mpetsane who did a presentation on the issue of Gender Champion. It was at that time that I realized that my time had come. 

My most memorable experience as a leader is drawn from the days I became gender aware. All along I had overlooked the issue of extending a helping hand to the less fortunate although I was engaged in several outreach endeavours before I joined the local authority. During the year 2016, a terrible storm named Dineo hit most of the parts of Botswana and from those affected by it I adopted and took in my house helper’s children who by the time had no dwelling place as their house had been hit by the storm resulting in their house collapsing. I took in three of her children and gave them shelter under my roof. Meanwhile the I also proposed that the council assist them on issues of school uniform and fees. These kids are still living under my roof and I have no intention of putting them out. However, this was not the first case where I had taken in a vulnerable child into my household. Am’ currently living with a teenage girl who is about to enrol with Mater Spei Secondary School. I took her in during her reception years as a vulnerable child living in a family of (9) at a small settlement near Matsiloje called Pobepobe. I qualify to be a Driver of Change because my focus as a leader is changing the lives of peoples and extending a helping hand to less fortunate or vulnerable. That is what’s most prevalent about my life and the reaction from the community is overwhelming and am’ always encouraged to do more when it comes to the effects imposed on PWD’s, the Elderly, OVC’s and the youth. My status as a youth commissioner for my district is an eye opener and am mandated to sharing life changing experiences with my colleagues. 

My personal mission statement is influenced by the current approval of the gender policy. I am banking on imploring its advantages. The following are some of the objectives I have cascaded. 
To support the motion of the development of a financial structure on gender related matters.
To push the agenda of the 50/50 campaign leading to 2030.
To influence and encourage through the gender policy the involvement of women, PWD’s and youth in politics.
To implore government to initiate gender segregation schools within Botswana.
To foster monitoring and evaluation on projects awarded by the council or societal empowerment projects.

As a specially Nominated Councillor and Youth Commissioner in my district am’ able to meet the demands of my community where my senior officials cannot be able to reach. I act as the spokesperson of the Minister on issues surrounding gender based violence, destitute housing and economic empowerment programs. Am’ also engaged in gender related matters as evident from my involvement in committees such as Gender. Under this committee am able to pioneer all gender activities initiated by the council. Am engaged in all Gender protocol summit, preparations, verification, internal capacity building and campaign strategies on the prevalent post 2015 agenda setting at both local and national level. I have championed and participated most of the campaigns that deal with issues of infrastructure and social development as i am regarded as a key decision maker in the issuance of market stalls for the district under the Estate Management Committee. The challenges that are prevalent in my work are mainly fuelled by the segregation of committees that deal with similar issues or classification of these vulnerable groups. This challenge is however one of the issues I am willing to address and relentlessly curb. The most part of my work is primarily to serve as a supporting structure to women on issues of governance and also to encourage positive workplace and policy and practice. When am’ not in office I spend most of my time supporting my community in areas of sport through kit sponsorship and also assist women in my community who harvest Phane for a living on issues of transport and market development. For the most part of my involvement in council operations I stand on behalf of all women within the council structure and contest their challenges in on the day to day 

Championing gender has changed my life in so many ways. Firstly, I got to have first-hand contact with victims of societal ills like gender based violence, sexual discrimination and societal rejection. I developed a personal interest in ensuring that victims of gender discrimination go through a thorough life transformation experience. Before I was involved in gender issues, I used to overlook most issues in relation to societal ills. The transformation I went through enabled me to take part in most of my society’s life changing campaigns and also developed a keen interest on community development issues. 

The involvement of women in politics has elevated and more women especially the ones I reach out to has started developing keen interests in areas of governance and leadership. 

I have made the council to become more aware of all gender sensitive matters and give precedence to issues surrounding sexual reproductive health, gender based violence and economic development.