Page 19 - GESI Framework

Gender Equality and social inclusion framework

Matlhogonolo Mmese: An aspiring hydrogeologist in Botswana

When Matlhogonolo Mmese of Gaborone, Botswana
was age 16, she thought long and hard about which
career to choose and decided to become a doctor.

But soon after, she realized that she didn’t have a passion
for medicine. She thought some more and chose
hydrogeology. That decision stuck.

Today, Mmese, 25, is pursuing a master’s degree in
hydrogeology at the University of Botswana.

“In our country, most of the water
that we drink is a little bit salty,” she
says. “I want to help provide not
just clean water but water that
tastes good.”

Salty water does not plague the capital city of
Gaborone. But Mmese gained first-hand knowledge
about the status of water growing up in different towns
in Botswana, because her mother, now retired as an
immigration officer, was posted throughout the country.

Mmese received her undergraduate degree in applied
geophysics from the University of Botswana.
Now, as a graduate student, she has won a Young
Professionals scholarship of approximately US$12,000
from SADC GMI to pursue fieldwork for her thesis. The
scholarship will help pay for tuition and expenses
during her field study, especially for data collection and
processing.

“Matlhogonolo Mmese is a talented and motivated
young female geoscientist with limited financial
resources aspiring to be a professional hydrogeologist,”
professors Rubeni Ranganai of the University of
Botswana and Modreck Gomo of the University of the
Free State wrote in her scholarship application.
Mmese’s thesis is focused on the factors that control
the occurrence of groundwater on the Botswana side of
the Khakhea-Bray Transboundary Aquifer, which is
shared by Botswana and South Africa. She plans to
develop a conceptual model of the TBA using
geophysical and hydrogeological data, with the ultimate
goal of better management of groundwater resources.
As one of only two women among seven students in her
master’s degree program, Mmese is aware of the
challenges faced by women in the male-dominated field.

“There is a need for you to prove that you belong
there,” she says. “You need to put in more work to
prove that you are good at your job.”

Women have one advantage, she says. “Women are
responsible. So, men tend to trust women. That’s the Mathlogonolo Mmese during her thesis' fieldwork in Botswana.
upside.” ©Matlhogonolo Mmese

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