Beauty with a cause

Saturday, May 17 2008


EFFORTS to raise AIDS Awareness in Trinidad and Tobago are getting a significant boost this weekend with the visit to this country by reigning Miss World Zi Lin Zhang, of China.

Since being crowned Miss World in Sanya, China, last December 1, Zi Lin has travelled the world promoting HIV and AIDS awareness and prevention, working with children and adults who are HIV positive and promoting positive living with HIV.

The statuesque beauty, who arrived in the country last night, is spending today in Tobago. She is scheduled to deliver the feature address at the National Candlelight Memorial ceremony at Chaguanas Community Centre from 4 pm tomorrow.

On Monday Miss World 2007 will pay courtesy visits to President George Maxwell Richards and Prime Minister Patrick Manning. A visit to the Cyril Ross Nursery is also planned.

Her visit to TT was made possible by Peter Elias, local Miss World Pageant franchaise holder and the Miss World Organisation

A secretary from Beijing, she beat out a field of 106 beauties from around the world to cop the title. At six-feet tall, Zi Lin was the pageant’s tallest entrant, towering over the field both literally and figuratively. She was born in Shi Jia Zhuang City in Hei Bei Province, China, and later moved to Beijing where she now makes her home. When she’s not travelling or reading, she’s at the track keeping fit with 100-meter jumps and hurdles and triple jumps.

She had been one of the hot favourites to win the title and copped the Miss World Top Model 2007 title, one of the fast track events of pageant.

Zi Lin is the first Chinese to have won the Miss World title. She is a graduate of China’s University of Science and Technology with a degree in Business Administration and was working in a Beijing based company before making it to the final of Miss World 2007.

Zi Lin likes fruit, chocolate, and ice cream and likes to travel, read, write and watch movies. Her personal motto is “Where there’s a will there’s a way.”

She is the 57th winner of Miss World beauty pageant since its launch in 1951. In the finals she had to face Miss Trinidad and Tobago Valene Mahataj, as well as Miss Angola, Miss Mexico and Miss Sweden. Almost all of them were favourites for the crown. She is the ninth winner of the Miss World title from the Asia Pacific region.

There was a special focus on HIV/AIDS during the pageant. In addition to being held to coincide with World AIDS Day on December 1, the pageant presented a special tribute to the fight against AIDS, with a televised speech from former South African President Nelson Mandela.

This year marks a quarter of a century since the discovery of the first case of HIV in Trinidad and Tobago and in this regard.

During her visit, Zi Lin will participate in local observances of the 19th National AIDS Candlelight Memorial.

The main event, which takes place tomorrow in Chaguanas, will include a Candlelight Memorial Concert and Health.

In San Fernando, South AIDS Support in collaboration with Ward Two of the San Fernando General Hospital hosted a Health Fair at the San Fernando Hospital Car Park, yesterday. In Arima today, The REd Initiatives will host a Health Fair and Candlelight Concert at The Arima Borough Corporation Car Park (opposite FCB) with a Candlelight Procession to follow around the Princess Royal Park The final supporting event will be held at Woodford Square, tomorrow by Community Action Resource (CARe). The International AIDS Candlelight Memorial began in 1983 when a few men in San Francisco decided to hold a memorial and march to bring public attention to a mysterious disease that was causing early and unexplained deaths.

Over the years, the Candlelight Memorial spread beyond the United States. In 2007, the Candlelight Memorial was commemorated by small and large groups in more than 1,500 events held in 119 countries. This annual event, coordinated worldwide by the Global Health Council, commemorates the lives lost to AIDS, demonstrates support for people living with HIV/AIDS and mobilizes community based responses to HIV/AIDS.

http://www.newsday.co.tt/