Ishani Shrestha
Ishani Shrestha is a TV host, entrepreneur, model and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss Nepal World 2013. She made history by securing a place in the top 10 and winning the Beauty with a Purpose title in Miss World 2013.
When you chose your advocacy during your participation in Miss Nepal, was this specifically something you did for the contest or it was a topic already close to your heart and why?
My Beauty With A Purpose project is Project Smile. We conducted numerous dental health camps, awareness programmes, clothing drive and women empowerment courses around villages in Jumla. This was planned out specifically because I was a medical student then, and this cause is what I knew best to be effective and empowering.
Are you still continuing with the project?
Yes, I have been actively working for Project Smile in the past 11 years. We have expanded our reach to building schools, health posts, awareness campaigns, women’s health and skill development courses. In the past three years, I have introduced the Saksham Nari programme in collaboration with DV Education group to provide skill based trainings to over 150 women. My dream is to financially enable these women through income generation. We are also working on building a hundred playgrounds around Nepal. These are great challenges but have expanded my horizons to achieve what I dream through Project Smile.
What was the impact you had hoped to create?
The impact we expected from Project Smile was to inform the women and children we are working with about basic rights on education and health. Through our efforts, we have been highly successful in doing so. We still have a lot to work on and work with, hence still a long way to go.
How do pageants as a platform enable visibility and support to your cause?
Pageants are incredibly empowering and gave me a wonderful platform for Project Smile. It gave me a recognition to expand my network and outreach. Also, winning BWAP in Miss World gave me a lot of credibility and brought in my wonderful supporters to achieve what I could through Project Smile.
Share with our readers, some of the beauty pageant advocacies that you appreciate.
I truly appreciate Miss World’s advocacies and their work done throughout the world. Every woman who has contributed to charity work, with or without a pageant background, has influenced me to keep going and working better.
Dr Sareesha Shrestha
Dr Sareesha Shrestha is the titleholder of Miss Nepal Earth 2022. She is a medical doctor who works for health literacy in Nepal’s disadvantaged communities through her initiative, The Sahayatri.
When you chose your advocacy during your participation in Miss Nepal, was this specifically something you did for the contest or it was a topic already close to your heart and why?
The advocacy I chose for Miss Earth was something deeply personal and also an issue that demanded urgent attention at the time: waste management. This has been a significant concern both nationally and globally for years, but during the pageant, headlines about Sisdole’s waste management crisis and the harsh conditions faced by locals and waste workers dominated the news. While I used my platform to address various environmental issues, my primary focus remained on promoting sustainable waste management and fostering eco-consciousness within the community.
Are you still continuing with the project?
Yes, I am still continuing my work with ‘Green Minds.’ With the support of local clubs and organisations, we have been conducting environmental awareness workshops in schools, organising tree-planting and cleanup campaigns. I plan to expand and scale up these initiatives in the near future.
What was the impact you had hoped to create?
My goal was to create a meaningful impact at the grassroots level. The project was specifically designed to engage children – the future generation – and waste workers, emphasising their crucial roles in sustainable practices. The pilot phase began at Madan Smarak School in Lalitpur and Sisdole, the valley’s primary dumping site. We provided training on waste segregation and composting and built a sustainable garden using recycled materials at the school. Additionally, we organised health camps and occupational safety workshops for the residents and waste workers in Sisdole.
Since the pageant, I have expanded the project to four more schools. Rather than pursuing large, attention-grabbing outcomes, I have focused on smaller, impactful initiatives that directly address key objectives.
One of the most rewarding moments was when Nepal won the Best Eco Project Video in Asia-Oceania for the second time in 20 years of Miss Nepal history. For me, purpose is the heart of any pageant, and we accomplished that. Nepal accomplished that. I felt immense pride in bringing this honour to our country while staying true to the cause I chose to champion.
How do pageants as a platform enable visibility and support to your cause?
Winning a national pageant brings a certain level of recognition and credibility, making it easier to build networks, collaborate, and leverage various platforms whether through interviews, event appearances, panel discussions, or social media – to raise awareness and rally public support for important causes.
Share with our readers, some of the beauty pageant advocacies that you appreciate.
Different beauty pageants champion a range of causes, something many people outside the pageant community might not realise. For example, Miss World highlights “Beauty with a Purpose,” focusing on community projects, particularly those supporting women and children. Miss Earth advocates for environmental conservation, climate change awareness, and sustainability through its “Beauties for a Cause” initiative. Meanwhile, Miss International emphasises cultural exchange and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Whether it’s building schools and bridges, creating sustainable communities, or raising awareness on critical social issues like menstruation, human trafficking, genital mutilation, or mental health, each project brings significant value to the communities it serves. Every humanitarian effort – no matter how large or small – that positively impacts lives is both commendable and inspiring. That’s why I deeply admire the efforts made through these platforms to drive meaningful change.
Sophiya Bhujel
Sophiya Bhujel is one of 83 beauty queens representing their respective countries in Miss Universe 2022. She won the title of Social Impact Leader during the pageant.
When you chose your advocacy during your participation in Miss Universe Nepal, was this specifically something you did for the contest or it was a topic already close to your heart and why?
Project Red wasn’t just an advocacy I chose for Miss Universe Nepal, it was a mission I had embarked on exactly eight months before the competition in 2022. About eight months earlier, I started Project Red with a clear aim: to address the critical issues surrounding menstrual health in Nepal. This initiative focuses on combating the lack of access to affordable sanitary products, providing proper education on menstrual hygiene, reducing the cultural stigma surrounding menstruation, and ultimately eradicating period poverty in the country.
The inspiration for Project Red came from a personal experience. During a shoot, I found myself without access to sanitary products, a situation that made me reflect deeply on how many women, girls and menstruators in Nepal face this challenge regularly. Imagining the lives of those who are consistently denied proper access to menstrual products or education broke my heart.
With the resources and a platform at my disposal, I realised that change had to start with me. That realisation marked the beginning of Project Red, an initiative that strives to make a real difference in the lives of countless women, girl & menstruators in Nepal.
Are you still continuing the project?
Yes, I am deeply committed to this cause. We are currently working on a documentary that will shed light on the challenges and stigma surrounding menstruation in Nepal. Alongside this, we are developing comprehensive curriculums, manufacturing a sanitary product and forging key collaborations to further the reach and impact of Project Red.
This initiative will persist until the stigmas associated with menstruation are not only eradicated in Nepal but also across the globe. We are determined to create lasting change for women, girls & menstruators everywhere.
What was the impact you had hoped to create?
To be completely honest, I started Project Red simply because I could. I asked myself, “If not me, then who?” My initial hope wasn’t grand. I just wanted to make a difference, whether in one person’s life or in the lives of thousands. My commitment is unwavering, I will do whatever it takes to create meaningful change and make a lasting impact.
How do pageants as a platform enable visibility and support to your cause?
I believe that pageants offer an excellent platform to showcase and amplify the projects one is passionate about. Winning Miss Universe Nepal significantly enhanced the visibility and credibility of Project Red. It allowed me to engage with a wider audience and raise awareness about the pressing issues surrounding menstruation in Nepal. The title provided a valuable opportunity to advocate for change, making it easier to garner support and inspire action. The experience has undoubtedly been a substantial boost to Project Red, furthering its mission to address period poverty and dismantle the stigma associated with menstruation.
Share with our readers, some of the beauty pageant advocacies that you appreciate.
In my view, every beauty queen, including all contestants, have made a significant impact through their advocacies. Each one brings a unique passion and perspective to the cause they champion, contributing to meaningful change in various communities around the world. Their dedication and efforts, regardless of the outcome of the competition, are truly commendable and inspire others to take action in their own ways. The collective impact of their work goes far beyond the pageant stage, creating lasting positive effects on society.
I believe it would be truly unfair to single out just a few advocacies as each one carries its own significance and value. I have immense respect for those who are striving to create positive change, whether by leveraging their platform, raising their voices, or supporting their communities in their own unique ways. The diversity of these advocacies enriches the global conversation and highlights the power of collective action. The impact of their work goes far beyond the pageant stage, creating lasting positive effects on society and the world as a whole.
Priyanka Rani Joshi
Priyanka Rani Joshi won Miss Nepal World 2022. She represented Nepal in Miss World 2023 where she was placed in the top 40.
When you chose your advocacy during your participation in Miss Universe Nepal, was this specifically something you did for the contest or it was a topic already close to your heart and why?
I believe advocacy is not something that you pick up along the way of your pageantry journey but advocacy is something that fills your soul, sprites up your spirit, and pushes you towards speaking about something you deeply care about. When my Miss Nepal journey started, there were a few things in my mind, very basic ideas, very basic questions, very basic inquiries about how the world works and in specific how Nepal works. I have always grown up around people who have always had great impact on my life. But growing up, I also realised that Nepal has been suffering from major power cuts and there are rural areas where there is no electricity at all. I have also wondered how electricity can sustain livelihoods.
To bring all of this together, with the power of the Miss Nepal platform, these two scopes of my inquiry and my interest came together and they turned into a project to electrify an entire village in Upper Dhangadi. We also opened up economic rehabilitation centers where they could earn for their own livelihoods and pay their electricity bills. We worked on two economic scopes – enabling honeybee farming and improving homestay businesses. We also built a community hall which is being used by people of all ages.
Are you still continuing the project?
Yes, I am continuing with the project. I still feel health is a major concern and a basic right. We are trying to host health camps around that place. I plan on continuing the impact of this project to other villages of the country.
What was the impact you had hoped to create?
The results that came out of our project was definitely humbling. The impact that we had hoped to create in Upper Dhangadi exceeded all our expectations and surpassed all the things that we had hoped for. We had an idea but the reality was so much more beautiful. We just thought we’d have a project where there would be electricity, and there would also be an economic project. But when this became a reality, the people now enjoy 50% more income than the time before this project.
The project had a greater impact on me, it has made me kinder and more compassionate.
How do pageants as a platform enable visibility and support to your cause?
The pageants today are focused so much more on projects and the sustainable development goals than any time before. Pageantry is moving forward knowing that women can help build better futures. Pageants as a platform enable visibility and support to our causes because it is a platform that intrigues the world. It’s not just one person watching Miss Nepal it’s the entire nation. The platform does increase visibility, support, clarity and networking.
Share with our readers, some of the beauty pageant advocacies that you appreciate.
There are two projects from Miss World that have really touched my heart. First is Project Smile by Ishani Shrestha. They focused on dental hygiene in a place that had never experienced health camps before. It not only brought smiles to people but it also warmed all the viewer’s heart with the impact that it created.
The next project is at Miss World again, the winning project of 2021 from Philippines by a contestant named Tracy Perez. She created a support group for single mothers which enabled a good and happy ecosystem for mothers and their children. It has to be one of the most heart touching projects that I have also seen on the stage of Miss World.
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