THE Miss Teen of the Universe pageant aspires to uplift the dreams of teenagers ensuring that the girl child is deeply catered for, organisers have said.
Speaking ahead of the pageant’s grand finale set for August at the ZITF Hall 2 in Bulawayo, Miss Teen of the Universe organisation public relations officer Chidadiso Francisca Mbazo told NewsDay Life & Style that they anticipated a bigger and better event this year, adding that people should expect fireworks.
“We are going to have 20 contestants vying for the Miss Teen of the Universe crown on August 3. The crowned Queen will then represent the country in India,” she said.
Mbazo added: “This pageant caters mostly for the girl child hence our intention is to make sure the girl child is deeply catered for and taken care of. Our pageant aspires to uplift teenagers’ dreams.”
The pageant is an affiliation of Miss Teen of the Universe founded in India by Sourav Anad catering for girls from the age of 15 to 20 years.
“Miss Teen of the Universe Zimbabwe is a new pageant affiliated to Miss Teen of the Universe founded in India by a passionate pageant director Sourav Anad. The pageant caters for the girl child from the age of 15 to 20 years of age. Hence as Zimbabwe, we saw it fit to be part of such a wonderful pageant as many of the pageants in the country neglect teenage girls while focusing more on older and mature ladies,” the organisation's chairperson Nokuthaba Manungo said.
She said the pageant aimed to promote the country’s culture and heritage at the international tourism stage while advocating a positive image denouncing drug and substance abuse, child marriages and gender-based violence, among other ills.
Manungo said for one to participate in the pageant, she must be a Zimbabwean citizens with a passport, never been married, must never have been involved in sexual videos and nude pictures, adding that models are expected to bring a guardian to the bootcamp who will accompany them in the event that they have the opportunity to represent the country in India.
- Pageant aspires to uplift teenagers’ dreams
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Contestants lined up to battle it out for the Miss Teen of the Universe crown are advocating various causes such as ending bullying in schools, life on land (environmental protection), quality education and gender equality, girl child empowerment, promotion of inclusivity (beauty in all forms) and ending sexual harassment, among others.
