Beauty With A Purpose

The Miss World Organization displays beauty and elegance with a giving spirit

Since its inception in 1951, the Miss World Organization has raised over £250 million for children’s charities throughout the world. Through their theme, “Beauty with a Purpose,” the organization has supported the Nelson Mandela Trust, Variety Club International, and myriad other child-related foundations and initiatives.

Julia Morley created “Beauty with a Purpose” 25 years ago. Today, the Miss World Organization is the only international competition to have adopted such a motto. Morley, managing director and international president of Miss World Limited, has seen the event grow into one of the largest in the world. It is now franchised in more than 140 countries.

Apart from Miss World’s commercial work and personal undertakings in each country visited, time is always set aside to allow each country the opportunity to hold a special function attended by Miss World. One hundred percent of the proceeds from ticket sales, raffles, donations, and other events are given to the underprivileged and handicapped children of the respective country.

Miss Peru, Maria Julia Mantilla Garcia, was crowned Miss World 2004 on a Saturday night in December at a beautiful southern Chinese beach resort in Sanya, China. The enthusiastic twenty-year-old wore a turquoise gown and blew kisses to the crowd as she began her year-long journey representing Miss World and “Beauty with a Purpose.” “I'm very surprised, but I'm also very happy,” Miss Mantilla Garcia told reporters after she was crowned. She said she looked forward to doing charitable work as Miss World so she could “help all the people that I can.”

Improving the quality of life for children all over the world is a vital component of the organization. Garcia and Morley began working shortly after the competition, joining forces with the Health Ministry of China and Sohu.com to send a message to the young people of China about AIDS. According to the World Health Organization, AIDS affects women as much as and, in some places, even more than it affects men.

In areas of the world disastrously affected by the Asian tsunami, water supplies have been severely contaminated, increasing the chances of children contracting diarrhea, cholera, typhoid, dysentery, and malaria. The Miss World Organization recently partnered with Variety Lifeline to provide water-treatment systems, shared reverse-osmosis systems, transportation, installation, insurance, and operational and maintenance guidance to these areas. The Miss World Organization donated $50,000 to buy three water treatment units to help in overwhelmed areas.

In the United States, Miss Mantilla Garcia hosted the 24-hour 2005 Variety Children’s Charity Telethon in Des Moines, Iowa. She helped raise nearly $5 million, setting a new record for the telethon. “It was nice to see all the people who work on this great show and help raise the much-needed money for charity. All the people give their time for the children, and you feel good as the amount of money raised increases,” she says.

Julia Morley and Maria Julia Mantilla Garcia most recently visited Russia to represent the Miss World Organization at a series of charity events. Mantilla Garcia made a celebrity appearance in Perm, Russia, at the town’s permanent circus, which was hosting a special performance for more than 2,000 underprivileged and special-needs children. That evening, a fundraising variety show raised 1.49 million rubles for the special-needs children living in Perm. Garcia feels her experiences traveling around the world have changed her life. “I have met many people and established new relationships. You get to learn more about the reality in each country.

It is nice when you visit the children and see their innocent faces and their smiles. You feel real comfort when you assist different events and help raise more money to help save more lives.”

Left: Miss Garcia Mantilla works with ChildServe to help this boy.