Road to Miss Universe – Miss Namibia Initiates ‘Wonder Women Empowerment’

Miss Namibia 2017 Suné January is preparing for her participation at the Miss Universe pageant and has officially launched a campaign that is aimed at encouraging people to support her fundraising efforts.

Last weekend, the Rehoboth beauty hosted the ‘Wonder Women Empowerment’ event that saw her emphasise the importance of women empowerment in society. At the event women from all sectors came together to share important life lessons and pledge support for the reigning national beauty queen.

During her opening address, she thanked all women who attended the fundraising event for their support. She further stated that women are the pillar of families, they are multi-taskers and always make sure that work is in order. She believes that women working together is vital, hence her theme ‘Wonder Women Empowerment’.

Michelle Mclean-Bailey, Miss Namibia 1991 and Miss Universe 1992, applauded January for the great initiative. Mclean-Bailey admitted that although society expects a lot from women, women have the right to be perfectly imperfect and make mistakes. “As women we need to change perceptions ourselves by teaching other women to not accept being disrespected and also by teaching boys how to treat women.” She further emphasised the need for women to empower one another by encouraging self-sufficiency and independence. “Suné, it is OK to reach out for help and we wish you all the best for Miss Universe 2017,” she said.

At the same occasion, Ilke Akwenye (founder of Poiyah Media) demonstrated the importance of family as a woman. She shared her insights from personal experience. “If you do extra work, it will eventually pay off. Passion is everything.” Akwenye also spoke about women going through tough times. “It is OK to burn out because that is when you surprise yourself to do things you did not think you could do.” She encouraged women to always pray and stick to their faith. “Do not lose your identity,” she said.

Barbara Kamba-Nyathi, a psychologist by profession, encouraged participants and women at large to embrace their uniqueness without being apologetic. During her presentation, she gave a great example of the medical conditions she faced while growing up and how she managed to thrive despite being a survivor of cervical cancer.

During a one-on-one session, Kamba-Nyathi stated the qualities of a wonder woman as one who is not afraid to show their weakness and strengths. In addition, she said because women are expected to be super girls, at times they forget to take care of themselves. She encouraged women to nourish themselves. “Do not try to fit in, do not be afraid to dream,” was her advice to today’s young women.

The next generation of women was also present at the event. Lauivenzia Kemases, a top performer in her Grade 11 class at Rehoboth High School, applauded January for the invitation afforded to her and seven other girls from Windhoek and surrounding towns. “I am so grateful to Suné and the organisers for giving us this chance of a lifetime. Meeting all these inspirational women is an honour. From this event, I have learnt that even my role models have insecurities and that as young women, we should accept the way we are and not lack confidence.”

January will represent Namibia at the Miss Universe beauty pageant in the United States in November. She thanked sponsors who came on board to make the event a success and also further encouraged other corporates to do the same to ensure that her Road to Miss Universe will be memorable.