Onjengaye Jara (13) became the latest Miss Golden Heart finalist to successfully complete her charitable cause by donating what she calls “dignity packs” to Grade 12 learners at her home village school, Tandanani Senior Secondary School, in Lotana Village, Qumbu.
Jara is a finalist in the pre-teen category of the Miss Golden Heart 2023, and the finals are set to take place in East London, on October 7.
The donation was part of a series of activities that pageant finalists must complete as a portfolio, that shows that they indeed have hearts of gold which carry a significant amount of influence towards who gets to be crowned the winner at the finals.
Mthatha Express previously reported on a similar initiative by another finalist, Lulo Jijana (12), who donated clothes and shared snacks and words of encouragement with children at the Thembelihle Children’s Orphanage in Norwood, Mthatha.
Jara donated 38 dignity packs to Grade 12 girls at Tandanani, each containing a pack of sanitary towels, toothpaste, a toothbrush, and bath soap.
She said that the items were donated by businesses, including Boxer Supermarket and Old Mutual, that she approached to partner with her, while private individuals and family relatives also contributed to her cause.
“I wanted my donation to go where it is most needed; hence the decision to go to my home village school because schools in rural areas are where most girls bear the brunt of missing school days, because they do not have sanitary towels and hardly get donations to alleviate their plight,” said Jara.
She also praised Miss Golden Heart organisers for getting finalists out of their comfort zones, and challenging them to take the initiative towards helping those in need.
“I like the fact that the competition is not just a beauty contest, but also encourages each finalist to demonstrate their heart of gold through the charity initiatives each of us have to complete, which really attracted me to enter the competition,” Jara added.
Jara, a Grade 8 learner at St John’s College in Mthatha, is also the reigning Miss St John’s College, having won the competition in February.
She has set her sights on hosting a youth seminar, before the Miss Golden Heart finals, where issues such as bullying in school, drug and substance abuse and gender-based violence will be tackled.
