Rethabile Sylvia Mphutlane has over three years of experience in the non-profit sector, where she has focused on empowering children, adolescent girls, and young women through theatre programs. Currently, Rethabile is a lecturer in theatre arts at the National University of Lesotho and is also the founder of SPEAK, a mentorship program that works with university students across Lesotho. Rethabile holds a master’s degree in Applied Drama: Theatre in Education, Communities, and Social Contexts from Witwatersrand University. She hopes to enroll in the Ph.D. program in 2020. Her research interests focus on the application of drama in developing communications strategies for non-governmental organizations focusing on health education. Rethabile is motivated by her desire to transform the economy of Lesotho by empowering young women through educational initiatives, and participation in civic leadership. Upon completion of the Mandela Washington Fellowship, Rethabile plans to continue her work in academia, and focus on advancing SPEAK so that it may serve the majority of young women in Lesotho.
