Thursday, May 26, heralds the 14th anniversary of the Cell C Take a Girl Child to Work Programme.
This movement and its potential outcomes continue to grow in stature and strength and this year’s Miss South Africa, Ntandoyenkosi Kunene, has been appointed the campaign’s official ambassador.
Many girl children are born into environments where their family members don’t work in corporates, are neither in charge of their own businesses nor work in professions such as medicine or law.
This makes it difficult for them to gain work experience or receive positive advice about their future which, in the long run, will have an impact on their confidence, self-belief and ambitions.
“I believe that Cell C’s initiative to inspire girl learners forms a key foundation in helping empower women in our society,” said Susan Shabangu, minister of women in the Presidency.
“Choosing a career after leaving school is one of life’s major decisions and not everyone is fortunate enough to know what they want to do and be able to vigorously pursue it.
“With strong support from businesses and institutions around the country, this initiative has already been a huge success which has impacted on the lives of many young women.”
In a continued effort to keep the drive exciting and relevant, the Cell C Take a Girl Child to Work Day campaign has taken on a new form this year – enlisting the expertise of three of the country’s foremost leaders in business and media – Basetsana Kumalo, Dolly Mokgatle and Leanne Manas.
Kumalo was crowned Miss South Africa in 1994.
Among a number of her successful endeavours, she co-owns an award-winning production company – Tswelopele Productions.
Mokgatle is a qualified attorney and businesswoman with significant experience in the electricity industry.
She is an executive director of the Peotona Group Holdings and chairperson of the Electricity Distributing Industry.
Manas is an award-winning anchor, MC and presenter on SABC 2’s Morning Live.
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