Miss Disability winners receive prizes

glittering ceremony held at Leonard Cheshire Trust in Harare.
The 25-year-old walked away with a return air ticket for two to Victoria Falls courtesy of Air Zimbabwe and voucher valued at US$150 from Topics and accommodation for two at any Hotel or Lodge of her choice.

Chiedza Nkomazana, who emerged the second princess, got a holiday voucher for two at Carribea Bay Hotel in Kariba courtesy of Africa Sun, US$100 shopping voucher from Topics and her travelling expenses will be covered by the trust.
Second princess Talent Muchengwi won herself a dinner voucher for two at the Rainbow Towers plus a Topics voucher valued at US$50.

Speaking at the prize-giving event, Juliet Muzondo, the co-ordinator of the pageant, expressed delight at the support the beauty pageant received from the corporate world.
“We are grateful of the support we got from our sponsors and partners. We hope to build on this relationship such that we have a much bigger and even better organised event next year,” she said.
Miss Disability was held last month with 15 beauties taking to the ramp.

“We have started consultations with the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe to take the event to the rest of the country. It is our hope that disabled ladies from all parts of the country become part of this pageant,” Muzondo said.

She said it was the trust’s vision to make the beauty pageant an annual national event.
The newly crowned Miss Disability 2011 Yeukai, a psychology student at the Zimbabwe Open University, said she was ready to take on her role as ambassador of young disabled women in Zimbabwe.

She said the inclusion of disabled persons in life issues would see an end to discrimination.
“We are also human and as such we deserve to be treated equally with dignity, it is only with the support of the rest of society that we will curb discrimination,” she said.

The Leonard Cheshire Trust is a member of the Leonard Cheshire Disability Global Alliance which operates in more than 50 countries worldwide. It is a non-profit organisation working with children and youth with disabilities.