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MISS UNIVERSE MALAYSIA 2012 FINALISTS LEARN ABOUT SUPPORTING CAUSES FROM DEBORAH HENRY
Finalists of BeautyCamp spend day at Fugee School mingling with children and learning about how such centres work
October 24, 2011 – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: The finalists of Miss Universe Malaysia 2012 today gathered at the Fugee School here to learn about Beauty with a Cause. Showing them the way was Miss Universe Malaysia 2011, Deborah Henry.
The Fugee School educates between 60 and 100 refugee children between the ages of 4 and 25 at any given time. They are given lessons in core subjects such as English, Mathematics, Science, Art, Computing skills, and their native language, Somali.
“The winner of the Miss Universe Malaysia title bears a tremendous responsibility not just towards herself, but towards the people of this country. This extends to everyone who lives, works and plays in Malaysia – she has to find her cause and her passion and support it wholly. Deborah is a perfect example of this as the Fugee School is one of the leading lights of what happens when someone commits to a cause without reservation,” said Andrea Fonseka, who is also National Director, Miss Universe Malaysia Organisation,
The finalists, who are being selected through Malaysia‟s first reality television show of its kind – BeautyCamp: The Search for Miss Universe Malaysia 2012 (“BeautyCamp”), which airs a new episode every Thursday at 3.30pm and 9.00pm, – took the day off to mingle and experience the joy of working with the refugee children at the Fugee School.
“We hope that by showing the finalists what an amazing effect they can have on the lives of children, through a simple act of caring and by committing to a cause, they might one day become a leading light in their own way. Miss Universe Malaysia is a platform for change, for good – and this is just the beginning,” added Fonseka. Deborah Henry added, “I am very passionate about children‟s rights, especially their right to getting education. It is the only way that they, their families and eventually the society as a whole, can progress to better things.”
The Fugee School believes in the strength of refugee children to recreate their future through education. This empowers them with the requisite skills to help them secure the same opportunities available to other children their age. The Fugee School also looks to teach refugee children about social behavior and how to get along with others through extra-curricular activities such as sports and outings.
Established in mid 2008 as ‘SKEF’ (Somalia Kids Education Fund) by co-founders Deborah Henry and Shikeen Halibullah, the School began as an effort to provide weekly English and Mathematics tuition to a small group of Somali refugee children. In May 2009, they ventured into their biggest project to-date working with refugees when they amassed the management and operation of a private tuition centre (Save Education Centre) run by Somali refugee Shafie Mohamed. From a centre which taught English, Mathematics and Somali to a few individuals within the refugee community with the ability to pay RM80 per month, the centre was transformed into a centre that reached out to 100 students at a small fee of RM10* per student a month, providing subjects from Mathematics to Art as well as extra-curricular activities.
For more information on BeautyCamp and Miss Universe Malaysia 2012 please visit www.missuniversemalaysia.com.my. For more information on the Fugee School and Deborah Henry‟s efforts please visit www.fugeeschool.com.
About Miss Universe Malaysia Organisation (“MUMO”)
Miss Universe Malaysia is part of the international Miss Universe franchise. Owned and managed by the esteemed Trump Organisation in joint venture with NBC Universal. Of the many pageants and beauty contests in Malaysia, none are as prestigious as this title. The winners stand amongst the most beautiful and accomplished women from around the world. Miss Universe Malaysia is also the longest running pageant in Malaysia. Past Miss Universe Malaysia who have done this country proud include: Datin Josephine Fonseka, Yasmin Yusoff, Datuk Anna Lim, Elaine Daly and Andrea Fonseka. The woman who wears the Miss Universe Malaysia crown is not just a „beauty queen‟ but a role model for other young women and an ambassador for Malaysia on the international stage. Andrea Fonseka (the National Director and Miss Universe Malaysia 2004) has as of January 2010, taken this passion project over to groom, train and ultimately take Miss Universe Malaysia to the top line up at the Miss Universe pageant. “We‟re going to make you shine”.
