When Mandela Fellow Sharon Reakae first arrived at Ability360, she had no idea how much she would benefit from her experience.
Right away, Reakae received friendly greetings from staff at Ability360. Both staff and Reakae reported terrific learning over the course of her four week placement as a Mandela Fellow.
“The first week I came here people were being kind, and I thought, ‘Are people being kind because I am new here?’ Reakae said. “The whole four weeks have been amazing. People are super kind and helpful. I’m kind of sad that I’m leaving.”
Reakae, a native of Botswana, completed her four-week professional development program with Ability360 through the Washington Mandela Fellowship Program, which was implemented 10 years ago under President Barack Obama.
The prestigious program began as a way for the United States to collaborate with sub-Saharan African countries. It allows individuals from Africa to come to the U.S. for training and professional development.
In 2024, there were 54,000 applicants for the program, competing for 700 placements in the U.S. Those who were selected spent six weeks at universities across the country where they received training on leadership, professional development, and sustainability. They also worked with nonprofit organizations and government agencies.
Reakae spent six weeks at Kansas State University as part of the program. She was then chosen as one of the 100 Fellows placed with an organization for further training.
“We’ve been blessed to have our Fellow with us for four weeks to learn about Ability360,” said Ability360 Vice President of Advocacy April Reed.
“How we work with people with disabilities, how we support leadership and professional development among our staff, and how we create programs and services that further the independence and accessibility for people with disabilities here in our area, the hope is our Fellow can take that back to Botswana and implement those skills and traits we’ve learned and make it work in their country as well.”
During Reakae’s time with Ability360, she had the opportunity to learn about its many programs. She also met with Special Olympics Arizona and learned a curriculum she can take back to her home country where she works as the program coordinator for Special Olympics Botswana.
Reakae began her work in Botswana as a volunteer shortly after her contract with a local soil plant expired. A biology buff at heart, she took her love for life and how living beings operate and implemented it into her work with Special Olympics.
From interacting with people, to learning about them as humans, she led the health and leadership programming for Special Olympics in her country for four years.
“We do more than sports. We do a lot of health programming, public health, sexual and reproductive health education,” Reakae said. “We do a lot of education with the parents – the caregivers – and that is called a ‘family health forum.’ We have different discussions on topics that are pressing for people with intellectual disabilities.”
Along with the Special Olympics, much of Reakae’s impact in Botswana resulted from the organization she and her sisters started, Haphega, which translates to “special” from Setswana to English.
The organization aims to serve young girls with intellectual disabilities concerning their sexual and reproductive health. Reakae saw the gap in her work with Special Olympics Botswana that young girls with intellectual disabilities do not have access to comprehensive sex health education.
Reakae and her sisters hope to bridge that gap. Her time with Ability360 gave her more knowledge to share with her sisters to accomplish that goal.
“People with intellectual disabilities experience a lot of sexual violence in Botswana,” Reakae said. “I’ve had the incredible opportunity of meeting Lynn Black. She runs a program called ‘This is MY Life’ and she does similar work in trying to help people advocate for themselves, especially people with intellectual disabilities. Build confidence, have life skills, self-advocacy. That’s the work we do.”
Conversations with Black and Ability360’s 360Youth Program Coordinator Kelly Beaubien gave Reakae ideas for a curriculum she can take home.
She also hopes to motivate others to volunteer their time to Special Olympics Botswana, which is a paid staff of two – herself included.
“[Volunteering] is not a culture in our country,” Reakae said. “The volunteers can have the opportunity to serve the community and feel good and see other people thrive and feel better with the work they do.”
Although she does feel empowered, Reakae knows her work is far from over.
She plans to bolster Special Olympics Botswana’s fitness program in preparation for the 2027 Special Olympics in Chile. In addition, she hopes to increase training around reproductive health.
She also aims to establish a culture similar to what she witnessed at Ability360, one that centers around inclusivity and being there for one another. Reakae saw people with disabilities push themselves physically and mentally in the many programs offered at Ability360. Reakae went on a paddle trip through the 360Outdoors program. She watched the wheelchair football team practice in the Ability360 Sports & Fitness Center.
Reakae witnessed the impact of non-sports activities and programs at Ability360, where people with disabilities are given resources to live a more independent life. She said the positive energy emanates throughout the campus, and it’s an energy she plans to harbor and take back to Botswana to continue making an impact.
“Sometimes I get impostor syndrome and feel like what I’m doing is not enough,” Reakae said. “Seeing all the efforts combined from the organizations I’ve been at has made me realize the work we do is important. Interacting with the people here has expanded my life. It has changed my life completely.”
As impactful as it has been for Reakae, Reed said having her on campus the last month was equally as impactful for the staff.
Reakae opened their eyes to a new culture and new ways to impact youth across the world. She also exposed their taste buds to new food, as she joined Chef Steve for a special edition of 360 in the Kitchen.
Reed said that’s what makes the Mandela Fellowship Program special. It’s an opportunity for both sides to make an impact on one another.
“The program is about exchange. It’s not just us teaching, it’s us learning from Sharon,” Reed said. “Learning about her culture, learning about her community and getting ideas from her as well about the programs they’ve implemented at Special Olympics Botswana, how they’re serving their community. It’s really an exchange of ideas and information.
“We support each other, we learn from each other. I think it energizes both of us to go back into our communities, start projects and develop new services with a new enthusiasm and ideas for a future.”
