Mirror Magazine

Mirror Magazine

The beauty queen and the children
Renu Warnasuriya and Priyanwada Ranawaka
Dressed in their Sunday best, complete with colourful hair accessories and well-powdered faces, bubbling with excitement, some residents of the Dehiwela area lined the streets with flags, songs and musical instruments to welcome a very special guest.

Their unblinking stares and dropped jaw expressions were a complete give away of their absolute awe as she walked in looking quite stunning in her turquoise outfit and matching crown. On tour in Sri Lanka last week, reigning Miss World Rosanna Davison visited the Morning Star School, in Dehiwela to distribute schoolbooks to the 92 underprivileged students of the school as well as 60 students from Jayanthi Madya Maha Vidyalaya in Kalawana.

“We were waiting to see her,” said 18-year-old M. K. Chandani from Kalawana. “We’ve seen pictures of her before but she’s even prettier in real life.” A special treat like this however does not come unpaid for. These students had to sit an exam and those who fared the best were the chosen lot.

The Morning Star School was established in 1999. It is essentially a non-formal educational institute. Currently the school has 92 children, consisting of school dropouts and first timers. Yet it was revealed that the average attendance is around 70. As an incentive to come to school the children are given both breakfast and lunch as well as school uniforms and accessories. “Our aim is to ensure the children enter the formal education system,” says Principal Ms. Chitrani Stambo. “The problem is not just poverty but extreme neglect,” said Ms. Stambo explaining that some of the students get little parental support.

Each student was given a parcel of schoolbooks, though their focus was not what they got but whom they got it from. The seemingly appropriate West Life music in the background created a truly ‘Irish’ atmosphere as tall Rosanna bent down to present the gifts to the tiny pre-schoolers.

Addressing the women in the gathering, Rosanna said, “When women are educated and healthy, it is the family that benefits.” While encouraging women involved in micro enterprise projects, she stressed on the importance of a mother’s role in a child’s life “You should do everything in your power to make sure your child gets a formal education,” says Rosanna who went on to explain that children who have not received a formal education should at least be given vocational training, enabling them to economically independent.

Sri Lanka’s own beauty queen, Mrs. Rosy Senanayake, translated Rosanna’s speech while adding her own opinions and advice. Still a queen in this part of the world, Rosy captured the audience with her encouraging words and cheerful disposition. The event was organised by SriLankan Airlines and the Community Concern Society, with the help of the ‘Lakvanitha’ group.

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