A 23-year-old dentist has secured her place in the Miss England Grand Final. Anika Walia has set up her own charity called Anika's Food Charity (AFC) as part of her her Beauty With A Purpose project for Miss England.
Through her charity, she has distributed food, and other basic necessities (such as quilts, blankets, sanitary kits, sleeping bags etc ) to under-privileged children, homeless families, refugees, asylum seekers, suicide attempt victims and domestic violence sufferers. But aside from providing materialistic aid, she has also helped in rehabilitation of the vulnerable through CV writing and cooking classes.
She has also raised funds for underprivileged children in India, for their educational costs and dental and medical checkup and treatment. Actively campaigning for children and women on menstrual hygiene, diet, dental hygiene, Anika has also organised several workshops in the slum areas in India. She has also taken English classes and taught the children there. In the past, she has raised funds over for both Marie Curie and WOHAA charities.
“Through my Beauty With A Purpose project, I make it my mission to empower others to achieve equality and the right to live with dignity and self-esteem. If I had the opportunity to win the title of Miss England, it will provide me with a platform to advocate for social causes that I truly believe in and be a voice for the voiceless,” said Anika.
One of AFC’s upcoming projects is to install a sanitary pad making machine near Faridabad city, Haryana state, India to provide the poor women there with employment and a means to take care of their menstrual hygiene. She has also taken English classes and taught the children there. In the past, she has raised funds for both Marie Curie and WOHAA charities (over £1,500).
Anika has also won the title of Miss Charity Queen in the Miss England semi-fi- nals, being the contestant who has raised the most funds for charity so far. She has raised over £4000 for Beauty With A Purpose Charity which helps disadvantaged children worldwide.
Miss England has raised over £500k in the last 10 years for deserving charities across the country. To see some of the projects the contest has funded please visit the Beauty with a Purpose section of the Miss England website: https://www.missengland.info/beauty-with-a-purpose/
