Pageant to promote female condom

MASERU – Population Services International (PSI) Lesotho will on Saturday hold a Face of Silk-ee Competition, a pageant that seeks to promote the use of the female condom among young Basotho women. The pageant will also seek
to empower young women to develop their professional skills. PSI communications officer, Limakatso Mokobocho, said the competition is a component of the Silk-ee Initiative, a pilot project promoting female condom use among young Basotho women. Mokobocho said the competition seeks to nurture and boost the young women’s confidence to confront challenges in their lives. “We want to encourage the youth not to wait for opportunities to come their way but for them to go look for opportunities,” Mokobocho said, added that contestants would be young ladies from the country’s tertiary institutions.

“This is a different sort of pageant. Instead of focusing only on physical beauty, the Face of Silk-ee completion focuses on intelligence, charisma, creativity and other qualities that make Silk-ee ladies stand out from the crowd,” said a press statement from PSI. Contestants stand a chance to win prizes beyond monetary incentives as prizes would provide them with opportunities to network and develop their professional skills. The contestants would also have an opportunity to dine with US ambassador to Lesotho, Michele Bond, “who will give these young ladies insights into her professional life and inspire them to make a difference.” The winner of the pageant will be the brand ambassador and spokesperson for the Silk-ee Female Condom. “Through this pageant, and other sponsored activities, The Silk-ee Initiative is empowering young ladies to take control of their lives and providing them with a platform to develop their skills and prepare them to join the professional world with confidence,” PSI said.