Gofaone Ntwaetsile – Botswana

“Dreams do not work unless you do”

Gender Links training was very exciting, especially with Mme Ntsabane, she is a very open person. She cracks jokes to try and make us relax because the first training was the “I” story workshop where we shared our stories and it was very hard for me to open up. But with her skills I managed to write an “I” story and it was published in the “I” story booklet. I am so honoured that I have been able to do this as I know it will impact on other women going through the same situation.

I have a group that I formed to do gender based violence counselling in the Morama ward. There are three families from the Sesarwa tribe whom I assist with food and I also ask people for contributions to continue to assist them. Again I help guide those people from my community on the subject of violence so that they do not become victims like me. With all this effort I can say I am a driver of change.

My business is tent hire; I do this for events like weddings, funerals, parties and small occasions for different companies and people. I also have chairs, tables, plates and utensils and I also hire these. I have different packages with tents and without tents, some people just hire chairs or plates or tents alone. I am engaged in another business which is catering and running a restaurant. The name of my restaurant is Golden Boot Takeaways and I sell different foods like fat cakes, chips and other foodstuffs. These businesses are a good combination as there are people who sometimes want both tents and catering.

My life has changed now that I am independent. I no longer expect a man to take care of me because I do not have any qualifications. Being chosen to represent Ghanzi for the national summit improved my already high self-esteem and I believe that I am capable of doing anything that I want, no matter how challenging it is. The Ministry of Gender Affairs funded my tent hiring business through the help of Gender Links. My business is going well as now I can budget, do cash flow and I have opened a bank account for each business. I also managed to register my business so I am operating lawfully.

My family has been very supportive and are very impressed with the changes in my life. I moved from where I was staying and rented out my own place. I now live peacefully with my children and my siblings. I pay rent and buy groceries, things that I did not think I could do because I believed that it was a man’s job to support me financially. My family also assist at the restaurant when I am on trip, however I hired a woman to look after it. My community admires the changes in my life as I get invitations to be a speaker and motivator at events like 16 Days of Activism. Since I am now a business woman, I take advantage of these events and try and promote my business. I am so proud of myself for being able to speak in public as previously I did not believe I could do such a thing.

I am very grateful to Gender Links for changing my life, they helped realise my potential, that I am not only a woman who has been abused as they introduced me to other women. They have also helped me to draw up a business plan which has opened doors for me as I managed to get funding for the tent hiring business. With the profits from this business, I started doing catering and opened a restaurant.

Funding to start my first business and registering my business were both challenges on this journey. It is also hard to find a place to rent. Although I am still struggling with funding, I believe I will be successful with hard work and determination. Again with the knowledge that I gained from the entrepreneurship training, I believe I will be financially stable as time goes by because I bank my profits and I have opened a savings account to assist in case of emergency.

I encourage Gender Links staff to continue with the hard work and continue making an impact on other women’s lives. This training has made me see the world in different way and I know what is wrong or right. I feel much empowered; I can now see my capabilities.