Help her make it to Lady Gracious finals
She hopes to inspire women from all walks of life
KEMPTON Park resident, Renalta Shakila Dhanisir, hopes she will make it to the finals of this year’s Lady Gracious Pageant.
The pageant is the brainchild of Suret Stroh, who started it four years ago after entering several pageants, including Mrs Modern Woman and Mrs United Nations.
The pageant, which is more than just a beauty contest, gives women, aged between 21 and 55 years, an opportunity to not only grow and empower themselves but also uplift others with the charity work the contestants are involved in.
“The Lady Gracious Pageant is a pageant that also aims to create a platform for women to be empowered and heard in South Africa,” she said.
She was head hunted to enter Mrs Tshwane in March last year and this piqued her interest in pageants as she was exposed to the work that goes into being a contestant and also how it helps others.
“At that time I faced extreme calamities and an inevitable divorce. The pageant enabled me to validate myself as a woman of worth. This pageant opened up many doors for me, in the world of politics as well as other pageants like the Lady Gracious Pageant which my photographer Jaco Hoffman of Digipix nominated me for,” she added.
As a nominee of these pageants it’s not about a beautiful face but being valuable in society, hence the women work with numerous charities. This year they are raising funds for Brandon Menezes, who requires new prosthetic legs.
The 13-year-old boy was born with a skeletal condition known as Diastrophic Dysplasia. This is a disease which affects about one in 100 000 births and is a kind of dwarfism. It hampers cartilage and bone development and causes joint problems that restrict mobility.
This means that his limbs are shorter in proportion to his body and his major joints are stiff and contracted. His legs were amputated from the knee in 2010 which meant he would have to use prosthetics.
A few years later he established himself as a young athlete and last year he brought home two gold medals for long jump and 100m sprint at the 2013 National Championships for Disabled Persons. He would like to continue with his athletic career and needs a permanent solution, as his paediatric prosthetics need replacement and will not last into his adult life.
“The cost of the prosthetics is about R970 000 and each of the nominees has to raise an amount towards that. I will have to get together R8 500 before May 31 to ensure this little boy’s dream of competing in the Rio Paralympics in 2016 comes true. It is imperative for women to participate in pageants of this nature as it empowers us personally to help others,” said Dhanasir.
The nominees’ ability to come up with the funds for Menezes will put them in better standing with making it to the finals for Lady Gracious. If you would like to assist, contact Dhanasir on 071-262-6578 or renaltadhenasir@gmail.com.
