IN recognition of Domestic Violence Month which has been observed in October since 1981, Miss World-Guyana, Rafieya Husain, will personally do her part to inform the youth and promote awareness of the early signs of inter-relational violence, with the aim of reducing the prevalence of domestic violence.

BEAUTY WITH A PURPOSE

Beauty with a Purpose was created by Julia Morley in 1972. It is at the heart of Miss World.
The theme for Miss World is “Beauty with a Purpose,” making the Miss World Crown the symbol of fundraising to help aid projects affecting our respective countries.
This initiative is a significant element of the Miss World competition and serves a larger role by bringing awareness to the scourge of domestic violence throughout Guyana. Over the coming weeks, Miss World-Guyana Queen, Rafieya Husain, will visit a number of schools and communities at which she is expected to discuss the early signs of domestic violence.
Beauty with a Purpose is an important award of the Miss World competition. Every year a contestant is singled out and recognised for the charitable work she has done in her country and also the positive impact she will make in her homeland. Being a humanitarian is integral to the Miss World ethos as contenders in each country volunteer their time to raise funds for a worthy cause.
All of the money raised goes to the nominated cause and the entrants’ records are credited with details of their personal contribution. Hard work, dedication, commitment and above all, the end results, will put a contestant in the running for the Beauty with a Purpose award.
Through the empowerment of Beauty with a Purpose, hundreds of millions of dollars have now been raised and donated to local and international organisations in aid of disadvantaged children the world over to the benefit of the most vulnerable in our society.

RAFIEYA’S INTERNATIONAL VISION OF HOPE (RIVAH) website: http://www.rivahonline.org
Rivah is run solely by founder, Rafieya Husain, the executive committee members and associates who volunteer their time to continue in the tradition of giving and learning so as to improve the lives of others.
Rivah is a non-profit organisation registered in Georgetown, Guyana. Rivah is a strong voice that will echo as a leader in bringing awareness to the early signs of domestic violence, educating young people on early warning signs and eradicating such behaviours by introducing corrective measures to prevent teen- related violence, which in turn will minimise domestic violence altogether.
This organisation will be funded and sustained through charitable contributions from partners, corporate donors and you. With the successful formation of this organisation, it is hoped that an even greater impact will be made by providing much needed resources and educational programmes in schools and through the Rivah Outreach Centre in Essequibo, Guyana.

OUTREACH CENTRE

Miss Husain’s goal is to raise US$10,000 to open an Outreach Centre in Guyana that will cater for educating, correcting behaviours, and ultimately preventing domestic violence.
With the acquisition of a land and building, she is one step closer to fulfilling her dream. Regional Chairman Parmanand Persaud and Regional Executive Officer Sunil Singh presented the land and building located at Land of Plenty, and promised to assist with renovations and support to prepare the centre for its opening.
Construction of the Outreach Centre has begun and is expected to be completed by the end of October, 2014. The cost of renovations and repairs are currently being met through funds donated so far.

Mission Objectives:
1. Advocacy: The centre will tirelessly advocate for all affected by domestic violence, with the aim of ending and preventing it.
2. Empowerment: The centre will seek every opportunity to ensure it has the inner strength to be sustainable.
3. Prevention/Intervention: The centre will seek to establish and provide useful resources to mitigate all of the circumstances that lead to violent outcomes.
4. Service/Education: The centre will offer a wide variety of programmes, events and ways to learn how to end the cycle of violence.

CAUSE

Her platform of choice is domestic violence with a focus on teen dating. She says her passion for improving lives and making a difference started from an early age, inspired by her late grandfather, Shaffeek Khan. His philanthropic work for the community, building schools for children, is one of the reasons she was inspired to build an outreach centre in Essequibo for domestic abuse victims.
Being a victim herself, her main reason for the charity and building the outreach centre is to spread awareness of the INITIAL SIGNS of domestic violence. “I choose to build my awareness campaign around dating violence and to educate teens and children in schools so that we can reduce the percentage of victims over time. By focusing on the root cause of domestic violence, we will educate our youths, the next generation, to be able to identify and mitigate abuse at an early stage.”

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
“Miss World Guyana 2014 has given me the platform to promote my cause and spread awareness of domestic violence in Guyana and around the world. I am asking all of Guyana to join in my campaign to stop domestic violence and bring awareness to the early signs of it. This will in turn create a better future for our families by donating and supporting this cause.”
Donations can be monetary or in kind, we are currently renovating the centre so we are in need of hardware, paint, materials, furniture, a microwave, refrigerator, etc.
“As my journey continues for the title of Miss World 2014, I leave for London in four weeks to compete with my fellow contestants in London. I promise to give my best to bring home the crown and title to Guyana. I would like to thank all my fans and supporters for all their love, support and guidance always.”
Domestic Violence Awareness Month provides the opportunity for all to focus their efforts on increasing awareness and promoting prevention. In sharing this message, Miss World Guyana 2014 would like people to know that domestic violence can happen to anyone, regardless of age, race, education status, sexual orientation, or gender.
“It can happen to young people who are now entering the dating scene as well as those who are in relationships. Domestic violence also occurs in relationships where people are married or living together. Various surveys and reports indicate that one in every four women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime; women are being killed by their partners; and other women know a victim or victims affected by domestic violence.”

FUNDRAISING

There are two planned fund- raising events in October and November 2014. A Red Carpet Dinner, which was held last night-October 25, 2014-at Palm Court and a Boat Cruise in New York on November 8th, 2014. Proceeds from these events will go towards completing the Outreach Centre.

SCHOOLS

In the next two weeks, she will be visiting schools around Guyana to launch an awareness campaign, connecting with our youths and having them commit to values of old. She is also very excited and happy to launch “I-COMMIT TO” bracelets…let the conversation begin!
These bracelets are intended to start a conversation.
Each bracelet must mean something to you. Each colour is also a colour of the flag, except for the Hope bracelet.
These bracelets will be awarded for acts of valour to students and young people in Guyana who share their success stories with Miss World Guyana, as she kicks off her awareness campaign.
It is also her pleasure to launch the booklets that will be given to the headmistress of each school visited. This will be an informational tool that students can use to learn more about domestic violence and its early signs. The booklet is equipped with places to go to for help and how to go about getting the help needed.
Miss World Guyana expresses gratitude to all those who helped her through her campaigns and those who made her Outreach Centre a reality. She thanks the Cara Lodge for allowing the hosting of press conferences, and Torginol Paints for providing paint and other items for her Outreach Centre in Essequibo.
Her gratitude is extended to Caribbean Airlines, Twins Manufacturing, Guyana Mobile, Limacol, the media, the PS Media PR team, Mr. & Mrs. Phillip Williams, the Miss World Guyana organisation team, Natasha Matrindale, and designers Michelle Cole and Roger Gary.
She acknowledges the efforts of her immediate family and the Guyanese community, all of whom supported her in her exploits.