Hilda Macheso automatically voted into 2022 Miss Malawi final top 10

* Earned 2,882 in Monday’s and Tuesday’s public voting

* Joins Natasha Tembo who secured her place after early childhood development training

* Top 10 to go for bootcamp at Kambiri Beach Resort in Salima

By Victor Singano Jnr, Correspondent

Through Monday’s and Tuesday’s public voting, Hilda Macheso earned 2,882 votes that secured her an automatic qualification for the 2022 Miss Malawi final contestants scheduled for December 3 Bingu International Convention Centre in Lilongwe.

Other contestants who made it for the next activity — a bootcamp at Kambiri Beach Resort in Salima — towards the main event are Vanessa Makungwa, Hlezipe Chikhwaza, Stacey Ngulube, Lucy Kampango, Roberta Kanjero, Sonia Kasanga, Umiwangu Mlanjira and Olivia Masonga.

From the 70 ladies that auditioned for the 2022 Miss Malawi pageant, top 30 were identified, who went through for online public voting to select top 15. Five more were added after a second round of voting from the 15 that had been left out.

The 20 then underwent a training in early childhood development, the theme for the pageant, which was sponsored and will administered by Nyasa Junior Academy, at which they were tasked with different activities.

One contestant, Natasha Tembo automatically secured her place in the top 10 after impressing organisers from the tasks done.

Miss Malawi pageant has been resuscitated by events organisers, Alpha Arts led by managing director, Francis Kaphuka whose spokesperson is Tina Kendricks — former Model of the Year Queen.

The top 20 girls were also afforded motivational talk sessions by various top women executives, civil rights leaders and religious speakers in celebration of Mothers Day on October 15 held at Heritage Hotel in Limbe.

The event started with online and walk-in auditions in Blantyre at Lotus Hotel, in Lilongwe at the Bamboo Boutique Hotel Mzuzu at the Grand Palace Hotel.

Bamboo Boutique Hotel and Lotus Hotel are managed by Serendib Hotels, who are also Alpha Arts’ partners in the organisation towards the success of the Miss Malawi pageant.

Other Serendib Hotels’ hospitality locations are Serendib Suites (in Namiwawa); Heritage Hotel in Limbe (formerly Shire Highlands Hotel); Kambiri and Blue Waters Beach Resorts (both in Salima) and Zaburi Beach Resort in Mangochi.

Another partner of the return of the pageant is Malawi’s leading media house, Zodiak Broadcasting Station (ZBS), who signed an agreement which will see the most award-winning television and radio station as official broadcaster.

Meanwhile, in line with theme, ‘Early Childhood Development’, one of the contestants, Umiwangu Mlanjira has rolled out her charity drive towards the event.

She donated learning materials at Ndirande LEA School in Blantyre of an exercise book, a pencil, ruler, sharpener and an eraser — and also made a motivational speech in which she impressed the young minds on the importance of regular hand washing — which is also an appeal which the Ministry of Health is propagating amidst the cholera outbreak in the country.

The graduate in Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing-Child Health, obtained this year at Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (KUHeS), visited the school on Monday dressed in her nurse’s uniform — accompanied by her supportive mother, Josephine.

On her ‘Road to Miss Malawi 2022 Facebook page, Umiwangu entices wellwishers to support her cause, saying: “Did you know that with only K500 you can help a Standard 1 pupil in need? With only K500 you can help promote early childhood education in a Government school setting.

“You can help buy an exercise book, a pencil and an eraser to help a pupil to learn how to write and read. Help me by holding my hand, dear Malawi, as we promote early childhood education.”

She indicated that contributions can be made towards her cause through the following accounts National Bank account number 1004331369; Mpamba on 0881851548 and Airtel Money: 0999513791.

She promises that the funds will be accounted for and that every contribution will be acknowledged on her Facebook account.

For this first exercise, Umiwangu said she was assisted by two wellwishers and she said she was immensely grateful of their gesture, which she did not solicit for but that they saw the appeal on her Facebook page.

She said two more wellwishers have also assisted — Member of Parliament for Blantyre Malabada, Ismail Rizzq Mkumba and Daud Suleman, Director General for Malawi Communication and Regulatory Authority (MACRA) in his personal capacity.

She still calls out to well-wishers to assist towards her cause because she wants to reach out to other primary schools in Ndirande, saying every tambala counts and that the learning materials she targets to distribute can inspire a learner’s mind to stay in school.

“We all have a role to play to make sure that children should look forward to going to school every single day. I experienced it when I was teaching them in my neighborhood — they always looked forward to the next day’s lessons.

“Some of them would even leave their homes on their own whenever their mothers were delaying to escort them to our home. That’s what motivated me to think of donating to Standard 1 pupils, because that’s the second step towards early childhood development after the nursery school,” she said.

This is not the first interaction she has had with children, saying she’s had an experience having worked as an intern at Rise & Shine at Maselema and Great Beginnings Montessori School in Kanjedza, soon after finishing at St. Mary’s Secondary School in Zomba.

“When I was selected to KUHeS, then known as Kamuzu College of Nursing (KCN), I continued to teach children during holidays in our neighborhood at Malaysia in Ndirande, which is in Blantyre Malabada Constituency,” said the 23-year-old contestant.

“I was teaching the nursery stage toddlers just basics, such as the alphabet, singing, letter writing and helping them become deep friends amongst themselves and to date, most of the kids are in government school setting.

“This was my first engagement in early childhood development and Miss Malawi’s theme resonates well with what I have already experienced for the past five years.”