Beauty with a Purpose
The President of the Miss World Organization, Julia Morley, coined the phrase 'Beauty With A Purpose' more than 25 years ago and since then more than $400 million USD have been raised in its name in support of children's charities across the globe, bringing help and hope to hundreds of thousands in need. Among the many recipients of this outstanding fund-generating activity has been the Nelson Mandela Trust, Canada’s Cops For Cancer, Variety Clubs International, Operation Hunger, and the SOS Children’s Villages which cares for orphaned and abandoned children in 132 countries.
Today, Beauty with a Purpose is also the name of a special annual award programme that singles out and recognises the Miss World contestant who is shown, through charitable works, to have made a real difference to people in need in her homeland. Charity work is integral to the Miss World ethos and part of the brief to contenders in each country is that they volunteer their time or fundraise for charity. All of the money raised goes to the nominated cause and the entrants’ records are credited with details of their personal contribution. Their hard work, dedication and above all, results, are what puts them in the running for the Beauty with a Purpose award. Beauty with a Purpose is staged as part of the festivities just prior to the pageant itself and since 2005 the winner has automatically been awarded a place in the Miss World semi finals.
Without question, it is the enduring popularity of the Miss World pageant that has helped spread the word and encouraged young women to get involved as part of their bid for the title in activities that really can only make the world a better place.
