Miss Earth finalist’s mission to make a difference
Happy Kids Play School, an early childhood development centre in Zandspruit will forever be grateful to Miss Earth South Africa finalist, Charlotte Joja, for heeding their call.
Charlotte, from Roodekrans, was on a mission in search of an orphanage in the Honeydew area when she stumbled across the pre-school which was in dire need.
“I was lost one day and stopped at this play school to ask for directions.
When I started speaking to the lady who owns this centre, she began to tell me of her struggles, which include the lack of clothing for some of the children, the building’s need for refurbishment and the fact that some of the children walk long distances without shoes to attend the play school,” Chartotte recalled.
The 21-year-old University of Johannesburg psychology student was touched by the story and decided to detour in her mission to find an orphanage and first provide for the pre-school which caters for children between the ages of birth and 17 years.
A week later, on Saturday, 11 August, Charlotte visited the centre with numbers of friends bearing items she felt were most needed to run the centre and leave children smiling. “We were able to get donations from different organisations like Hands of Compassion, which donated the blankets, baby toys and clothes, the children from Rhema North Bible Church brought in non-perishable food and Miss Earth provided stationery to run the facility,” said Charlotte.
Her assistance did not stop there – she also gave the facility a face-lift by painting the jungle gyms and walls, and started a vegetable garden with the aim of providing a sustainable solution to the school’s food needs. “What we did was plant veggie seeds with the plan to help them be sustainable, so that even when we are gone they will be able to feed themselves,” she cited.
This passionate contestant also explained why she chose to make an impact through the pageant. “The reason why I entered Miss Earth was my passion for making a difference, changing people’s lives and uplifting struggling communities,” the Honours student explained.
For her next project, she vowed to visit the orphanage she was in search of from the beginning.
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