STEM Education in Botswana: Girls Getting Geeky

The MoCookie Company (Mochudi Cookie) is part of Stepping Stones International Income Generation Program, where the participants build their own companies and learn about marketing strategies and the meaning of entrepreneurship. The company bakes every Friday and sells the cookies, traditionally oats and raisins cookies to the staff, participants and/or visitors at the centre. The objective is, besides experiencing what it’s like to be part of a company with spending, and profits, is to give the participants a space where they can learn about production, where they can improve their concentration, efficiency and cooperation skills in a team work space, being the kitchen. The German Embassy donated an oven for baking cookies in mass. SSI has approached Holiday Garden Inn who are interested in selling the cookies in the shop. The MoCookie Company needs to look into packaging and marketing. The children participating in the MoCookie Company are experiencing a form of success and self efficiency in a different environment than in school, where they need to use their creativity, analytical skills and learn business. A lot of these participants come from economically challenged homesteads, so the funds they raise from the cookie company will be shared at the end of year and they will use the funds to purchase their own basic needs, for example, a school uniform or shoes.

The purpose of this project was for participants to explore the following six key issues / areas suggested by Design Squad Global:

1. Help people stay healthy
2. Help people stay safe
3. Protect the environment
4. Improve our school
5. Make older people’s lives better
6. Make children’s lives better

Children brainstormed the key issues and were tasked with ranking the top 3 priorities. Once the priorities were identified the solutions started flowing. The children selected Help people stay healthy in their environment (designing a dustbin to help keep the environment clean).

During this session the participants focused on turning their dustbin design into a prototype. Participants discussed and assigned tasks on how they were going to begin building their prototype with the materials they were supplied.

Participants successfully worked in groups, coordinating their efforts and clearly communicating to reach their goal.

Tactics such as using duct tape to secure the plastic and ensure it will not break were used. The child explained, “We are adding extra sticky tape to make sure that it is strong and so that it will not break” said one of the participants.

They further explained that they used a plastic inside stating, “We have put a black garbage bag inside to test if it would fit. When the bag becomes full it can be emptied in the big dustbins outside”

The children’s satisfaction at the end was healthy, “We are very happy with our dustbin. We think it will work because we designed it well and built it well.”

• Dustbin Creation Photos (DOCX)