05 Oct 2015

In an attempt to improve lives and change the mindset of the youth staying in and around Mahalapye, Gaonyafale Phuti has come up with an idea to host the first annual Miss Mahalapye pageant.

Phuti, a third year student at the University of Botswana said that she has realised that the youth usually learn better through ‘edutainment’, the reason why she intends to use this beauty pageant to get through to them.

She stated that she intends to work with the 16 finalists that will be selected at the auditions on the 30^th of September to help change lives in Mahalapye and surrounding areas, including those living with disability, the illiterate and the less privileged.

Phuti said that she wishes to bring awareness about positive, healthy living and living a life with purpose among young people.

She told BOPA in an interview that a lot of young people in the village were deep into alcohol and drug use and criminal activities something she would very much love to change.

Phuti said she wanted the youth to understand from an early age that there is more to life than abuse of substances and crime.

“I will help them get business empowerment so that they can build better lives for themselves; I already have a lot of information on programmes offered by the government to help the youth become entrepreneurs that I would like to share with them,” she said.

“This pageant is also aimed at helping young ladies boost their confidence and unleash their talents as there are not a lot of activities in the village that gives the youth a chance to showcase their talents,” she said.

She stated that the village is commonly known for its notoriety and bad behaved people saying that it is high time people changed their perception about the village.

Furthermore, she called on the business community and individuals especially in Mahalapye to support them and help make this pageant a reality.

Phuti is determined to do anything to make her dream of changing the lives of youth in her home village and does not see anything stopping her from achieving it, even lack of funding.

So far the pageant has only one sponsor; Cresta Hotel Mahalapye which has provided them with a venue. ENDS