When Women Fly

Today, we highlight Refilwe Ledwaba in the fourth episode of our Summer Series. Refilwe is a social entrepreneur, pilot, and educator. She is Founder of the Girls Fly Programme in Africa, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering young women to pursue careers in STEAM fields and to foster innovation in their communities.

Sylvia and Refilwe talk about the messiness of change and complexity of transformation both personal and cultural. Refilwe speaks to growing up in apartheid South Africa, the digital divide in rural areas, the reality of being an only, oversized overalls, the emotional roller coaster that comes with public praise, failure and scrutiny, the spirit of Ubuntu, how interdependence informs her mission, the power of role models, and much more.

Topics Include:

• The art of the pivot in a mission-driven organization
• Accessibility and the digital divide that hinders disadvantaged communities 
• The invitation to personal transformation that COVID offers us
• Failure and expectations
• Introspection and self-discovery
• Getting clear on the"why" that drives your actions
• Calibrating definitions of success to align with your deeper purpose
• Staying true to your mission during tumultuous times
• The art of resiliency
• And other topics...

Refilwe Ledwaba is a helicopter and fixed-wing pilot, a flight instructor, an advocate for women's rights and a Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation goalkeeper who made history by becoming the first black female pilot to fly for the police service in South Africa. She teaches young pilots in training how to operate aircraft. She also runs the Girls Fly Programme in Africa (GFPA), a foundation with a focus on introducing elementary and high school students to science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Ledwaba grew up in Limpopo, a province in the northeast of South Africa. Her mother, a teacher, raised seven children alone. She says her upbringing influenced her chosen path.

Guest Links:
https://www.gfpafoundation.org/
https://www.areye.africa/
Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn: @gfpafoundation, @areyestories
#gfpafoundation #areyestories

Resources Mentioned:
Our full episode with Refilwe: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1423273/7342762
TED - The Danger of a Single Story: https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_ngozi_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story

Instagram: @refilwe_led
Facebook: Refilwe Ledwaba
Linkedin: Refilwe ledwaba

Want to connect? Visit us online and signup for the monthly WWF newsletter!
Website – https://www.whenwomenfly.com/
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Pinterest – @whenwomenfly
Email – hello@whenwomenfly.com