Open to opportunities

Laone Rankoa

@laonerankoa

I am a community development practitioner empowering youth and women through livelihoods, entrepreneurship, and gender-equitable programmes.

Botswana

Message

What I'm looking for

I seek program management or community development roles focused on youth and women’s economic empowerment, rigorous M&E, scalable livelihood solutions, collaborative culture, and opportunities to lead curriculum and training initiatives.

I am a community development practitioner with over 5 years of hands-on experience in youth empowerment, gender equity, skills development and sustainable livelihoods. I specialize in building strong community relations, coordinating multi-stakeholder partnerships, and designing inclusive programmes, backed by a Master of Arts in Development Studies from the University of Botswana (Aug 2022 – May 2024).

I have designed and delivered curricula and M&E frameworks, facilitated 60+ capacity-building workshops for 400+ youth and community leaders, mentored 38 vulnerable youth, and personally trained 200+ adolescent girls and young women (AGYW). I co-designed a national youth livelihood curriculum adopted by USAID-funded projects and remain committed to practical, scalable initiatives that empower women and youth.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Program Officer II

Stepping Stones International

Jan 2021 - Jun 2024 (3 years 5 months)

Developed and Facilitated curricula for youth livelihoods programs. Engaged and maintained lucrative relations with various stakeholders & international donors. Successfully trained youth on entrepreneurship, basic ICT, Employability & Social wellbeing.

Program Management Program Design Facilitation Report Writing Stakeholder Engagement Event Management Monitoring and Evaluation Curriculum Development Curriculum Design

Administration Manager

Rockefeller Civil Engineering Contractors

Nov 2019 - Mar 2020 (4 months)

Coordinated staff scheduling and created company tender documents and corporate presentations.
• Managed administrative systems, procurement processes company documentation.
Maintained compliance with internal systems and financial record-keeping standards.

Administrative Office Skills Administration Procurement Reconciliations Office Management Personal Assistant Budget Management

Secretariat Intern

Women in Business Association

Jan 2019 - Oct 2019 (9 months)

Coordinated trainings and entrepreneurial events for local female entrepreneurs, managed membership databases, and supported development of communication materials and funding proposals.

Event Management Database Management Report Writing Proposal Development Stakeholder Engagement Microsoft Office

Remote Area Development Intern

Department of Community Development

Jun 2018 - Dec 2018 (6 months)

Coordinated entrepreneurship training and educational support for youth in remote settlements and developed relationships with businesses to secure funding for youth capacity-building activities.

Community Outreach Stakeholder Engagement Fundraising Capacity Building Monitoring & Evaluation Report Writing Microsoft Office

Education

Degrees, certifications, and relevant coursework

University of Botswana

Master of Arts, Development Studies

2022 - 2024

Master of Arts in Development Studies focusing on community development, gender equity, and programme design, completed at the University of Botswana in May 2024.