06 Sep Team Eswatini 2025 🇸🇿
Team Eswatini is a dedicated group of 71 bright and ambitious students, including 43 girls and 28 boys, who are united by a shared passion for STEM. Our team represents a wide spectrum of backgrounds from all four administrative regions of Eswatini, fostering a collaborative and inclusive learning environment. Our students range in age from 12 to 18, come from 41 different schools and 29 distinct communities, from rural villages to urban centers.
Our team’s journey is a testament to the principles of Coopertition® and Gracious Professionalism®, as our students overcome significant socioeconomic challenges to participate. Many travel over 300 km round-trip each Saturday, and some walk up to 12 km just to attend our six-hour sessions. Their unwavering dedication is a powerful display of their commitment, with a remarkable average attendance of 96% over 22 consecutive weekly sessions. This persistence and resilience embody the spirit of the FIRST Global community.
The program is guided by a team of ten dedicated mentors from diverse backgrounds, including high school educators, university students (many of whom are FGC alumni), and graduates. The leadership of our club is sustained by the extraordinary personal commitment of our founder and program director, Titus Mandla Sithole. His personal contributions have ensured our program’s existence, covering crucial operational costs and travel expenses, and providing our students with a consistent, supportive learning environment.
Our participation in the FIRST Global Challenge is more than just a competition; it is a catalyst for our greater purpose. We are actively working to build a more peaceful and prosperous world by advancing STEM education in Eswatini, a mission we believe aligns with the Declaration of Interdependence and Bill of Responsibilities. We are campaigning to have robotics officially recognized as a national sport, a strategic move that will unlock sustainable funding and allow us to expand our mission to empower more youth through STEM. The enthusiasm and commitment of our team, demonstrated by their relentless pursuit of knowledge and their support for one another, is our greatest strength and our inspiration.
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