Sometimes you come across someone who impresses you with their creativity. They also inspire you with their entrepreneurial ideas or hearten you with their community spirit. And then you meet someone like Mogolo Ramalebang, founder of Mandarin Dialogue, who effortlessly does all three.
Since taking her first Chinese language lesson in 2009, Mogolo has come a long way in her career. After living and working in Shanghai and getting her MBA in Bejing, Mogolo has been on a mission to bridge the cultural gap between China and her native Botswana.
Aims And Aspirations
Mandarin Dialogue began as a consultancy and is quickly growing into something much more. Established early this year, the organisation aspires to improve the bilateral relations with China. It does this by providing communication and translation services and supporting cultural exchange.
The organisation keeps language skills alive for students emerging from The University of Botswana and other institutions. With little opportunity to practice, languages learned during study can be easily lost. Even before they can be put into practice in the corporate world.
Services at Mandarin Dialogue
Aside from the corporate activities, Mandarin Dialogue is an organisation that caters for families. Here are some of the activities they have on offer:
· Children’s language classes. Children from as young as three years old can begin to learn Chinese. It’s a useful skill for the future in a growing global network. Learning Chinese can also support cognitive development, creativity and motor skills. This is because children learn sounds, brushstrokes and a different symbolism to the one they are primed to learn at school.
· Book Club. A free club for all students of Chinese to get together and practice their skills.
· Chinese Culture Activities. Tea tasting, Chinese cookery, wine tasting and calligraphy are some of the events on offer. We definitely look forward to hearing more about these opportunities.
· Holiday Camps. Children aged 3 – 13 are catered for during the school holidays. Activities include self defense classes, cooking, paper cutting, crafts, calligraphy and cultural games. Something different and diverse to take your children to when they are home for the holidays!
Community Spirit
Mogolo knows the benefits of working alongside others and collaborating with other local businesses. She’s offered free Chinese lessons at InPlay. She also recently partnered with SensoBaby to bring a week of Chinese Culture to their community. The panda (a costume she amazingly made herself) was a great hit. There were even activities for the parents to get involved in such as chopstick challenges and calligraphy lessons.
You can check out the Mandarin Dialogue Facebook page here
We look forward to seeing how the organisation grows!
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