Birch Acres Primary School teacher is Miss Africa finalist

SIMONE Roets is only 21-years-old but her maturity level and insight into the needs of children is not only impressive, but also moving.

The Glen Marais resident is a 2017 Miss Africa Finalist and a teacher at Birch Acres Primary School.

After speaking to her, one can tell her she has an immense passion for the emotional and psychological well-being of children. The Grade 3 teacher and Educational Psychology student is involved in work that helps children.

“Being Miss Africa is about having the whole package: the work you do in the community, the beauty and personality. They look for someone who can represent the African continent as a whole.”

And this is true for the Face of Kempton 2016, who not only has the beauty but also the heart. She loves spending time with people and really getting to know them so she can make an impact in their lives.

“You can’t build a charity up by visiting and dropping off food and clothes; I believe in getting to know the child personally. For example there’s a little girl staying at Baby Angel Care centre, which is my latest project. She said to me she can see people coming in to drop off food and clothes and then just leaving – but what she really wants, is for someone to know her name.”

And that is exactly what she aims to do through Baby Angel Care, a centre that cares for kids who are victims of abuse and human trafficking.

“It’s actually scary and unbelievable when one considers the experiences some children have been through, I have come across and worked with unfathomable situations,” she says about some of the cases she has dealt with at the centre.

Since 2013, the former Laerskool Birchleigh and Jeugies learner has also been involved with victims of human trafficking through the Pink Ladies Organisation, which helps find missing children and adults. She is also involved with a shelter for children in Boksburg, which was started by two women.

The shelter houses children from less fortunate backgrounds and is also open to children who want to do their homework after school. Some of their boys have even completed the 94.7 Cycle Race Challenge and some are rugby players.

She also enjoys visiting crèches and hospitals where she spends time with the kids and spreads a little joy either through hosting “royal princess and pyjama parties” or by donating teddy bears.

On Mandela Day, she visited the children’s ward at Edenvale Hospital where, by chance, Nigerian News was documenting Mandela Day. Needless to say, she got to feature in the series.

She has been able to give back through her sponsors, including Hava Java, Pep Stores, Pick n Pay, Chesa Nyama, Spur, Fotomatt and g-source.

Her ambition is to launch a rehabilitation boot camp centre for children who have been abused and who have experienced some sort of trauma in their lives albeit physical, sexual or emotional.

“One of the biggest issues we’re facing as a society is that children, of all ages, actually have problems they shouldn’t be dealing with. This affects them in different ways. Some misbehave, others are naughty and you get to see these things especially when you are a teacher,” Roets explains.

Furthermore, she believes that there are always underlying reasons why children misbehave. “A child is not just born naughty; there are deeper issues involved which lead to that type of behaviour.”

Having entered beauty pageants since she was a little girl, she has won several including Little Miss SA and Miss Norkem Park.

The Miss Africa pageant is currently her biggest achievement. People can vote for Roets by SMSing “MISS07” to 47018.