By GINNAH MINI
THE Chairlady for Miss Bird of Paradise (MBoP) Papua New Guinea (PNG), Anna Bais, has made it clear that MBoP is not a beauty pageant, but a young women’s leadership development program.
MBoP PNG stated that its intent is about discovering potential, creating opportunities, building confidence, nurturing leadership, and inspiring young people to believe that they can shape the future of PNG.
Speaking at MBoP’s media conference at Citi Boutique, Ms. Bais said that she has been a woman leader in the country and has noted the struggle for women leaders to really showcase themselves in PNG.
“We wanted to use a platform, a platform to show the country that our young women leaders are there, and they are coming up,” Ms. Bais said.
“So, it is beauty in its entirety- beauty in all forms, where a young woman, a young daughter of this nation can showcase to the country what young women leaders can do, and how they can contribute to the development of this nation.”
Ms. Bais said that in the last three years, MBoP has reached provinces and districts where nine provincial queens participated.
She added that for this year’s MBoP, 14 provinces will participate in it where the daughters of those provinces will showcase their culture and their tourism.
“They are telling the story of their districts and their villages, and it’s coming out through this platform,” Ms. Bais Said.
“As volunteers, we have rolled out into the province and district, and we have created a pathway for young women to raise their hands and see this platform and not fear it.”
Ms. Bais said that they want young women in PNG to see the Miss Bird of Paradise platform as a growth for them and as young women leaders showcasing and telling the story of the beauty of PNG.