Alumni Impact: Meet Witness Ditshweu
Alumni Impact is a social media campaign that recognizes the excellent work being done by FIUTS alumni all around the world. Today, meet Witness, a FIUTS SUSI alum from Botswana, and learn about his innovative work in providing networking and business opportunities to young entrepreneurs.
Witness Ditshweu
I am Witness Ditshweu, Botswana. I was part of the FIUTS program under Study of The US Institute, Civic Engagement winter cohort, 2020. I am currently engaged in one of the fast-growing international audit firms, Mazars as an audit trainee in Botswana. Into the bargain, I own a clothing brand called Alvaro Custom Suits.
I have been doing a project dubbed "Business Date Global Program" which first started as a national enclosed program and later on engaged other SUSI alumni from other African countries being Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Angola, Mali, and South Africa.
Business Date Event
During my time in the United States of America as a FIUTS student, I was exposed to profuse content in terms of leadership and making a difference in my community - equipped with skills. I was challenged to research and present on different community challenging matters and their solutions and fortunately was able to. I attended leadership development classes, project planning, and implementation.
Because of all these, I am able to come up with different community development projects and have them well implemented. Also, there were personal development insights that led to more improved character building.
Business Date Event
Botswana is recording vast increasing rates of unemployment currently at 17.7 percent and we came up with an elucidation to this, The Business Date Global Program. This program focuses much on different businesses created by young people. Every year we host a business development program with the U.S Embassy in Botswana and BA ISAGO University who are our sponsors and we create an insightful platform for the youth to learn, teach and showcase their businesses for increased networking and business growth opportunities. As young people in Botswana, although we are facing this unemployment crisis, we have opportunities to venture into different businesses and grow in those and sometimes even get funding from the government and different parastatals in Botswana depending on the interests and market of those businesses.
Panel Discussion at Business Date Event
The Business Date seeks to bring together young people and we have panel discussions on how to grow our networks that will, in turn, grow our businesses - most times we call organizations that deal with financial literacy to teach on businesses finances and other organizations that teach the formulation and/or implementation of those businesses. We have come together as different countries also because we are facing the same issues and we want to give aid on solutions, ideas on how to overcome those crises.
The Business Date Global Program is an annual program, though we are facing issues of lack of funds to be able to implement the project in these different countries or have members avail themselves in an agreed host country, we use what we have to make a difference in our communities however we can.
Business Date Event
We will be having the same event happening this year at BA ISAGO University, dates and more details will be shared.
Let's get ready for date!
The Study of the US Institute (SUSI) for Student Leaders is a program of the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, with funding provided by the U.S. Government, administered by Meridian International Center and FIUTS.
SUSI programs promote a better understanding of the people, institutions, and culture of the United States among international students, teachers, and scholars. Study of the U.S. Institutes (SUSIs) are short-term academic programs for groups of undergraduate leaders, educators, and scholars from around the world. Hosted by academic institutions throughout the United States, these 5- to 6-week Institutes include an intensive academic residency and an integrated educational study tour. Extracurricular cultural and community activities help to broaden the participants’ understanding of U.S. society. Learn more about SUSI programs here.
Guest posts on the FIUTS blog represent the experiences and views of individual writers. They do not necessarily reflect the views of FIUTS or any organizations or institutions affiliated with our programs.