July 13, 2010 – This year the Miss Africa USA pageant will take place on the 24th of July in Washington DC.
The beauty pageant which was started in 2005 has become the most publicized pageant since it focuses on African beauty queens in the USA.
It grooms a new generation of African women leaders to impact their communities in Africa, America and the rest of the world.
There are 32 African beauties representing18 African countries and they will battle it out for the top spot.
The 18 countries represented include: Kenya, Ghana, Cameroon, Guinea, Liberia, Malawi, Namibia, Ethiopia, Gabon, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, SA, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Senegal.Last year saw Nyasha Zimucha from South Africa scoop the prestigious title.
The three Kenyan representatives are Angela Wambui Muiruri, Hilda Nyaboke Mauya and Gloria Lily Akinyi McCarthy.
Angela Wambui is from Pepperdine University and studies Integrated Marketing & Communications.
She has big dreams for Kenya and on this she says… “In 5 years I see myself establishing and running a successful East African based advertising agency. I hope to use new media as a way to evoke social change around the world!
The impact I will have made in my community is personally mentoring and motivating youth to become dynamic leaders by pursuing higher education and achieving college success! I will use my advertising agency to promote this mission!”
Her campaign platform is based on “My Africa is Beautiful” which is a campaign that seeks to overcome the image of hopelessness in a 21st century Africa by providing empowerment through access to educational opportunities, leadership and economic development for youth in Kenya’s Individual Displaced Person (IDP) Camps.
Gloria McCarthy is from Fisher College/ Seton Hall University is pursuing studies in Business Administration/ International Relations and Diplomacy.
She is a Strong Kids Campaigner with the YMCA of Greater New York. www.ymcanyc.org/mcburney, a host Committee Member with the Touch Foundation. www.touchfoundation.org and the Public Relations Director/Photographer/Editor of L’Afrique newsletter with the Newark African Commission. www.africancommission.com
Her wish is to promote Sustainable Development by supporting Vision 2030.
On her five year plan…she says “In five years I will have relocated to Kenya where I will be supporting Vision 2030 (A development plan for the view of Kenya in the year 2030). Then I hope to have had as many women and youth involved in the Adopt-A-School Program that will aid in the improvement of schooling infrastructure and thus supporting community development through job opportunities.
Finally, there’s Hilda Mauya Nyaboke who is pursuing Nursing and Electroneurodiagnostic Technology from Minneapolis Community and Technical College.
In the year 2000 she became a member of an NGO Coalition of Violence Against Women (COVAW). This NGO has set out to fight for women rights, human rights in general and putting an end to the brutal violence against women in Kenya.
In her interview she explains that … “I have spent the last 24months working with a Non-Profit Organization known as Kenya Society for Academic Advancement to help needy children obtain an education. This organization has set out on a mission to help provide educational privileges to the underprivileged, orphaned, poverty and hunger stricken children obtain an education to better their lives and their community at large. We work with the local women groups in different provinces to help us locate and recruit these children that need sponsorship in advancing their education. They have to write an essay to the KSAA explaining to us why we should sponsor them, what education will benefit them and how they plan to give back to the society in the future.”
She has this to say about her five year aspiration plan…
“As your next Miss Africa USA, I will work together with the members of the KSAA NGO to achieve our goal of increasing our operating budget to $36,700 and identify a steady income source income in order to increase the number of beneficiaries from 13 to our long-term goal of 100 needy and underprivileged beneficiaries.
I will work with our organization of amazing human beings to increase fundraising scholarship recipients, recruit more women groups from other new provinces of Kenya to further assist us locate these beneficiaries.
I will also help in promoting and increase the membership donations, improve local visibility both in the USA and our homeland Kenya.
Finally I will help in enhancing awareness of the dangers of Violence against Women in Kenya and Africa at large.”
“I want to abolish female genital mutilation practices in Africa and help promote educational opportunities to underprivileged children Africa,” she adds.
Now you have it. Choose the person who according to you has got what it takes and whose plans you agree with and help them achieve their dreams by voting for them here.