Miss Ghana 2009 Shocked

Reigning Ghanaian beauty queen Mimi Areme, Miss Ghana 2009, is amazed by the number opportunities winning the pageant has brought her way so soon. “It is absolutely one of the greatest opportunities in my life.

To be crowned Miss Ghana is a life changing experience, and I will never have regrets for partaking in the beauty pageant which was organized by Media Whizz kids (MWK) on September 27, 2009”.

According to her, it was a challenging task, but she was determined to make an impact. “I boldly told myself it was a game, lose or win.

I wanted to make a difference and let people, especially the youth of Ghana, know that their destiny lies in their own hands”, the ever-smiling and elegant Mimi emphasized. She opined that the youth will have a brighter future if they take education and their careers seriously. “It was a message I fell in love with when I listened to US President Barack Obama’s message to Ghanaians.

I believed in what he said and I decided to re-emphasize by letting the youth understand and believe the message in order for a healthier life”.

As part of her social responsibilities, she has taken up a project in relation to her child trafficking pitch she delivered on stage, and it is being done in collaboration with International Organization for Migration (IOM).

According to her, it will help draw attention to the need to address the issue of child trafficking and its impact on the Ghanaian society. “My research covers children who will eventually become the future lead and how they are preparing for the challenges ahead”, she said.

So far, she has traveled to Kete-Krachie in the Volta Region, where child labour cases are high. “I realized children under the ages of 15 were used on the Volta Lake, and were made to swim deep into the lake to disentangle nets from the lake, scoop water from the canoe and also work vehemently like adults”, Mimi told BEATWAVES. “It is pathetic and sad that these children were sold to fishermen at a meager amount of GH¢30, GH¢50 and GH¢100, depending on the number of years they will be working with their masters.

One of these children damaged his eyes when he was disentangling a net from the lake. “Shockingly, he did not get any medical treatment for that.I asked myself, do these children have their destiny in their hands? Can they dream of their future ambitions?

All I saw in the eyes of these children was pain and torture, and their wish was to leave the bondage they find themselves in”, Mimi explained. “They have no place to go since they live on an island. These children are made to work from dawn till midnight and have to sleep with one eye open because they have to police the fishes caught and sell them the next day”, she added.

“The children have no education, nor any fun activities. The nation must rise up and face the challenges confronting it today so we can enjoy a brighter future tomorrow”, the beauty queen advised.

She acknowledged support from PHC Motors, GLICO General Insurance and GOIL.

Source: D Guide/ghana