During a charity sale event on Saturday, the contestants of the beauty pageant ‘Miss Northeast 2022’ raised funds for underprivileged children in Nagaland.
The event was held beneath the Kohima Post Office. Shanavas C, the Deputy Commissioner of Kohima, attended as a special guest.
Shanavas told the gathering ahead of the event that the northeast region is one of the most neglected in the country and that it needs special attention to catch up with the rest of the country.
“The people of the region should also know that the lack of development is not an excuse for corruption,” he said.
“As citizens, we have to be very aware; we have to have the vision that we want to grow along with the country and the rest of the world,” he stated.
He noticed that, due to a lack of exposure, children in this region do not dream big or at all, and many are content where they are.
He encouraged all participants to continue participating in positive events and stated that the title they hold is significant because many children are not as fortunate as others. “We have to help them, we have to take them along, then only this region, state, and this country will flourish,” he said.
According to Sarah Na-am Konyak, convenor of the Media Committee, the charity sale event is an initiative of Miss Northeast 2022 to help underprivileged children in Nagaland.
She stated that the event’s proceeds will be donated to the Medemers Fund and the Children’s Home. She explained that the Medemer fund is a crowd-funded project dedicated to bringing about change and equipping children from less privileged backgrounds with skills and knowledge by financially assisting in their education.
“Medemer fund was started in 2019 by Anen Longchar and is now run by a group of dedicated youth. Since its inception, the team has helped many children and youths by supporting their education,” Konyak added.
She also stated that beauty pageants seek not only physical qualities, but also compassion and empathy for fellow citizens, as it is an individual’s responsibility to help those who cannot help themselves.
Miss Northeast was held in Nagaland in 1996 and 2004 according to her. Miss Northeast 2022, on the other hand, is the first edition organised by the North East Beauty Pageant Organisation (NEBPO), a federation of all eight northeastern states’ official State Beauty pageant organisations.