Miss South Africa 2022 Ndavi Nokeri has launched her advocacy campaign Ed-Unite which aims to give young people the opportunity to cultivate their talents, intelligence and skills, regardless of their background.
The launch included a panel discussion with former public protector and Law Trust chair in social justice at Stellenbosch University, Professor Madonsela; Wits SRC president Cebolenkosi Samuel Khumalo and several school students.
The 23-year-old has always been passionate about equal educational and at her crowning in August pledged to help ensure an equal playing field for all learners.
“South Africa currently has the highest inequality rates globally. Having been exposed to extreme poverty as a child and thereafter being granted the opportunity to attend advantaged schools, I witnessed the negative effects of the great and unfair divide in this country.
“My mission is to bridge that gap. Fundamentally, every young person is given the opportunity to cultivate their talents, intelligence and skills, regardless of their background. This will enable us to reduce inequality by tackling the root causes of unemployment in South Africa.” said the beauty queen
“I want to approach this campaign holistically, helping across the board where it is needed to facilitate easier ways of learning. Here is my call to action: I call on corporate South Africa to join me and change the future of as many young people within the educational space as possible. Help me help them by providing expertise, equipment or financial assistance. Together, we can close the gap.
“I want to set a target and reach a point where R6 million has been donated, spent or reserved for projects that Ed-Unite is involved in by mid-January 2023,” she said.
Nokeri has identified a list of campaigns, each with an area that needs to be tackled. All campaigns will be matched with independent associate partners to provide the needed resources and expertise in their field or industry to fulfil the needs of the selected campaign.
These campaigns include period poverty, bursaries/financial aid, resource provision, infrastructure, training, sport, skills development, agriculture, health education and career guidance and advice.
After being crowned, Nokeri spoke about the essence of bringing to life all the initiatives she mapped for her reign revealing that she was ready to work.
“We are going straight to work. Being Miss SA is a full-time job. And I look forward to implementing all the initiatives that I have planned for, especially education. I can't wait to get to work with my plans and to be with the people ... “ Nokeri said.