Kwelagobe has been recognized as a human health rights activist, especially for her fight against HIV/AIDS and advocacy for youth and women to have greater access to sexual reproductive education and services. She is the co-founder of QuesS Capital LLC, a private equity firm with investments in financial services, renewable energy and agriculture in Africa and South Asia.
Kwelagobe began her career in modeling and pageantry as a teenager. In 1997, she entered Miss Botswana 1997 while still a high school student. She became the youngest woman to win Miss Botswana, at only 17. As Miss Botswana, Kwelagobe represented Botswana at Miss World 1997 in Mahé, Seychelles, where she was unplaced.[4]
Kwelagobe returned to pageantry two years later, being crowned Miss Universe Botswana 1999, becoming the inaugural holder of the title.[4] She subsequently became the first woman to represent Botswana in the Miss Universe competition, competing in Miss Universe 1999 in Chaguaramas, Trinidad and Tobago.[4][5][6] Kwelagobe advanced to the top ten, then the top five, and was ultimately declared the winner of the competition, ahead of first runner-up Miriam Quiambao of the Philippines and second runner-up Diana Nogueira of Spain. With her win, Kwelagobe became the fourth black woman to win Miss Universe, the first black African to win any of the Big Four international beauty pageants, and the first woman from Botswana to win a major international title.[7][8]
In November 2000, Kwelagobe launched the MPULE Foundation and continued to tour her country (Botswana) to promote behavioral change among the youth. The tour aimed to curb the spread of HIV/AIDS, while also advocating access to sexual and reproductive rights for women and youths.[4]
In 2001, Kwelagobe received the Jonathan Mann Health Human Rights Award by the International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care (IAPAC).[10] In 2003, she was selected as a Global Leader for Tomorrow (GLT) by the World Economic Forum, and in 2006, she was selected by the same organisation as a Young Global Leader (YGL).[11][7][12][2]
In 2011, Kwelagobe founded the MPULE Institute for Endogenous Development, a New York City-based advocacy. The institute strives to champion public policy and is a think tank for green initiatives, sustainable development in agriculture, gender equity, and women's and youth empowerment.[13]
