Mentorship Programme
Empowering the next generation of female leaders
Our Story
She’s Empowered Mentorship Programme was founded with the aim of empowering women with personal and professional skills that will enable them to reach their highest potential, thrive in their chosen fields and make their unique impact in the world.
The Programme is premised on the philosophy of paying it forward. The mentorship is offered completely free or charge and is open to all Namibian women looking to develop their professional skills and achieve long-term success in their chosen industry. Enrollment is by application only and mentees/mentors are paired based on areas of interest, goals and expertise.
The programme was officially founded in 2019 and is open to women in various industries and different seasons of their journey. In February 2020, the first intake of 17 mentees and five mentors embarked upon their mentorship journey. Now in its second year, the programme welcomed its second cohort in February 2021. This time, there are 16 mentees and 11 mentors, one of whom is based in Sierra Leone. The mentees are women from different backgrounds and ranging in age from 21 to 39. The second cohort of 2021 will commence in August.
Through this programme, women are supported and encouraged to recognise their true potential and power within, while defining success on their own terms.
The programme is the brainchild of Catherine Shipushu who is a strong proponent for women empowerment and mentorship. The programme was birthed out of her personal experience of trying to find her space and thrive in the corporate environment. On her journey to success, Shipushu faced numerous challenges that at times seemed unsurmountable. Through the nurturing and guidance of seasoned leaders who served as her mentors, Shipushu achieved her goal of build a career in the Media and Communication space, serving some of the country’s most reputable organisations.
In her own words, Shipushu says “Through my journey, I’ve learned that you cannot win alone and that we all need support in order to achieve our dreams and aspirations. It is thus not lost on me that I would not be where I am today without the work and support of those who came before me. I therefore believe I have a responsibility to use my talents and influence to uplift and support other women as they strive to fulfil their dreams and ultimately make their own impact in the world. That’s the purpose of the mentorship programme.”
Want to join the Network as a Mentor or Mentee? Get in touch with us for more information.
How the programme works
Every year, we send out a call for applications and invite interested women to apply for consideration as mentors or mentees on the programme.
The applications are considered by a panel that carefully scrutinised each application in order to identify suitable potential mentors and mentees. In some cases, chemistry sessions are arrange to make sure that the candidates will be a good fit to the programme. Once this process is concluded, the programme arranges for the mentor and mentees to meet. This session also serves as the formal induction into the programme where the participants are introduced to the concept of mentorship and the value they can derive from participating in the programme.
The mentors and mentees are expected to spend at least one hour together over the 5 month mentorship period. They agree where and how they meet, but must submit progress reports at least twice during this period.
The mentorship is offered at no cost to the mentees, however they are required to pay an application fee to cover the administrative and logistics costs of running the programme.
Our mentorship in numbers
33
Total mentees so far
12
Mentors in the Programme
5
Namibian towns represented on the programme
Meet our mentors
We are forever indebted to our mentors who selflessly share their time and knowledge to help us groom the next generation of female leaders, and change our narrative as African women.
Karin Husselman
Founder and CEO : Bhealthi Training and Coaching
Testimonials from our Mentees
Here's what some of our alumni mentees have to say about their experience on the programme.
Networking can be a little tricky sometimes. There are certain spaces you may want to gain insight to but are struggling to meet people from those arenas. The She's Empowered Network connected me to Karin, a public health professional, who helped me figure out the potential career paths I can take.