{"id":63075,"date":"2025-02-01T16:42:52","date_gmt":"2025-02-01T16:42:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/from-struggle-to-strength-chombo-shares-journey-of-resilience"},"modified":"2025-02-20T09:18:34","modified_gmt":"2025-02-20T09:18:34","slug":"from-struggle-to-strength-chombo-shares-journey-of-resilience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/from-struggle-to-strength-chombo-shares-journey-of-resilience","title":{"rendered":"From Struggle to Strength: Chombo Shares Journey of Resilience"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"color: #ff6600\"><strong>Africa-Press &#8211; Botswana. <\/strong><\/span><b>The L.E.A.D Forum hosted by the Ministry of Youth and Gender Affairs in Gaborone recently became more than a platform for dialogue \u2013 it became a space for inspiration, courage, and vulnerability.<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Minister Lesego Chombo captivated the audience with her heartfelt story, peeling back the layers of her life to reveal a journey marked by resilience and determination.<\/p>\n<p>Despite the polished image many associate with her achievements, the minister shared that her road to success was far from rosy.<\/p>\n<p>The untold story<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI stand before you as a young person who has lived an ordinary life,\u201d she said at the Forum. \u201cI relate to all that young people have gone through in the same country with the same challenges and opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This is the beauty queen of no small achievements of the catwalk and world stage, Chombo having been Miss Botswana 2023\/24 and Miss World Africa.<\/p>\n<p>Yet she recounted her beauty pageant days not as a tale of glamour but one of struggle and grit. \u201cBeing Miss Botswana was the most traumatic time of my life,\u201d she confessed.<\/p>\n<p>Depressed<\/p>\n<p>Behind the dazzling smiles and perfect poise was a young woman grappling with inadequate resources. \u201cThe support we got as Miss Botswana was not enough;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy designer friend and I pooled our resources to create my wardrobe. My makeup and nails were done by friends,\u201d she shared, painting a picture of teamwork and sacrifice.<\/p>\n<p>Yet, inspite of the challenges, Chombo pressed on. She described how she went door to door, knocking and asking for support to make her dreams a reality.<\/p>\n<p>Mindset<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was the first time I felt depressed,\u201d she admitted. \u201cBut I didn\u2019t crumble. People called me delusional and rebellious because I dared to believe in my dreams.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Chombo credited her mindset for helping her navigate the most trying times. \u201cHad I decided to say, \u2018The government isn\u2019t helping me,\u2019 I wouldn\u2019t be where I am today,\u201d she emphasised.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI used my last money to chase my dreams because I wanted to win Miss World,\u201d she said. \u201cThat\u2019s what many young people struggle with today \u2013 expecting someone to save them. But I\u2019m here to tell you, your mindset and perception can change your life.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGod is everything\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Her message to the youth was clear: perseverance, self-love, and faith are crucial. \u201cGod is everything, and He has never failed me,\u201d she noted. Even when I didn\u2019t win Miss World, I was at peace because God knew what He was doing. Look at me today.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Chombo\u2019s journey was more than just a story of triumph but a challenge to young people to take charge of their lives.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is your time to lead,\u201d she urged. \u201cDon\u2019t wait for anyone to come and save you. Persevere and love your life so much that you fight for it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>For More News And Analysis About <span style=\"color: #ff6600\">Botswana<\/span> Follow <span style=\"color: #ff6600\">Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Africa-Press &#8211; Botswana. The L.E.A.D Forum hosted by the Ministry of Youth and Gender Affairs in Gaborone recently became more than a platform for dialogue \u2013 it became a space for inspiration, courage, and vulnerability. Minister Lesego Chombo captivated the audience with her heartfelt story, peeling back the layers of her life to reveal a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":63074,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,3],"tags":[234],"class_list":["post-63075","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-community","tag-botswana"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.1 (Yoast SEO v27.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>From Struggle to Strength: Chombo Shares Journey of Resilience - Botswana<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The L.E.A.D Forum hosted by the Ministry of Youth and Gender Affairs in Gaborone recently became more than a platform ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/from-struggle-to-strength-chombo-shares-journey-of-resilience\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"From Struggle to Strength: Chombo Shares Journey of Resilience\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The L.E.A.D Forum hosted by the Ministry of Youth and Gender Affairs in Gaborone recently became more than a platform ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/from-struggle-to-strength-chombo-shares-journey-of-resilience\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Botswana\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-02-01T16:42:52+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-02-20T09:18:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/botswana\/sites\/38\/2025\/02\/sm_1738419834.318286.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/from-struggle-to-strength-chombo-shares-journey-of-resilience#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/from-struggle-to-strength-chombo-shares-journey-of-resilience\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"From Struggle to Strength: Chombo Shares Journey of Resilience\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-02-01T16:42:52+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-02-20T09:18:34+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/from-struggle-to-strength-chombo-shares-journey-of-resilience\"},\"wordCount\":495,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/from-struggle-to-strength-chombo-shares-journey-of-resilience#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/botswana\/sites\/38\/2025\/02\/sm_1738419834.318286.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Botswana\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"community\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/from-struggle-to-strength-chombo-shares-journey-of-resilience#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/from-struggle-to-strength-chombo-shares-journey-of-resilience\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/from-struggle-to-strength-chombo-shares-journey-of-resilience\",\"name\":\"From Struggle to Strength: Chombo Shares Journey of Resilience - 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