Miss World Celebrates Mandela Centennial in Mvezo
Andre Sleigh / Global Beauties
Manushi Chhillar, the reigning Miss World, touched down in Johannesburg, South Africa earlier this week for a very special event. Accompanied by Miss World CEO, Julia Morley and 2016 winner, Stephanie del Valle, the team reunited with 2014 winner, South Africa’s very own Rolene Strauss. The Miss World Organization has had a longstanding friendship with the Mandela family and the head of the Royal House of Mandela, Chief Mandla Mandela, works closely with Beauty With A Purpose on a regular basis.
Yesterday, South Africa celebrated the legacy of Nelson Mandela on what would have been his 100th birthday. The icon’s birthday has become known as International Mandela Day - a day on which people are encouraged to do 67 minutes of community service to commemorate Nelson Mandela’s long road to helping bring social justice to his country. The Miss World Organisation announced on the eve of the late presidents birthday that they would be travelling to his birthplace, Mvezo, to launch Chhillar’s South African Beauty With A Purpose project.
Miss World meet President Cyril Ramaphosa
At the opening of a brand new clinic on the day by the President of the Republic of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, Miss World joined the country’s leader to unveil the first sanitary towel machine in South Africa. For many young women in South Africa, this is a luxury which they can’t afford, forcing them to miss out on important learning time at school.
Thanks to the machine sponsored by an Indian company in cooperation with BWAP, the machine will produce up to 2,500 sanitary towels per day. “Nelson Mandela is an icon in India too. I’m so happy that we brought the very first machine here to empower girls in Mvezo. Mandela believed that men and women are equal and health is a fundamental right, so no girl should be dropping out or missing classes. Being part of the celebration is like a dream come true,” Chhillar told the local media.
“This is the definition of Beauty with a Purpose crossing continents. The very first 100% compostable, highly efficient and low cost sanitary pad making machine was such a huge success in India and today this life changing machine started her journey here in South Africa.Mister Nelson Mandela was passionate about women’s rights and health and his home village Mveso is thus the perfect start to a ripple effect here in Africa,” Dr. Rolene Strauss added.
Photos: Miss World / Rolene Strauss / Daily Dispatch
