A Kenyan woman, Habiba Abdulrahman Hemed was crowned third position for the Mrs Earth United Arab Emirates (UAE) 2023 contest.
The ceremony held in Dubai on July 12 saw Ms. Hemed recognized for her commitment to promoting sustainability in environmental conservation.
“As the Mrs. Earth UAE Water and CSR ambassador, I have the opportunity to raise awareness about important environmental issues and inspire others to take action,” says Ms. Hemed.
The recognition came at the right time with UAE preparing for the COP28 from November 30 to December 12.
Also Read: Environmentalists Criticize President Ruto for Lifting Ban on Logging
“As the Mrs. Earth UAE Water and Corporate Social Responsibility ambassador, I have the opportunity to raise awareness about important environmental issues and inspire others to take action and promote the Mrs. Earth UAE Women of the Earth foundation’s mission and values,” she said.
What Mrs Earth UAE CSR Ambassador does
“Additionally, as Mrs. Earth UAE Delegates, we serve as ambassadors of the Women of the Earth foundation which is a non-profit organization and the official philanthropic initiative of Mrs. Earth UAE,
The mission is to inspire change and overcome nature’s issues collectively by promoting environmental literacy and inspire collective community changes to help save our planet,” she added.
The voting process for the competition
She applied for the Mrs. Earth UAE pageant contest in April 2023, inspired by its concept centred on environmental sustainability.
“I was also motivated to apply despite the title ‘Mrs’ as being married was not a strict requirement as long as you are 18 years and above, considering I’m not married yet,” she explained.
Mrs. Earth is a globally renowned beauty pageant that goes beyond the celebration of physical beauty.
The platform nurtures and empowers young women to become ambassadors for environmental protection and sustainable development.
Also Read: How Instant Love with Mangroves Turned Young Kenyan Data Scientist into a Conservationist
Mrs. Earth UAE runs under the Mrs. Earth global beauty pageant, and has created opportunities to train, empower and celebrate women from across the United Arab Emirates to advocate for environmental sustainability.
The Women of the Earth Foundation Ambassadors is the official philanthropic initiative of the Mrs. Earth UAE.
“The contest focused on beauty, fashion, creativity and sustainability talents including a national consume contest where I represented my country, Kenya,” she noted.
The online voting was challenging, focused on leadership and fundraising skills, which was 50 percent of the total votes with different packages to choose from.
“I gained a total of 7,330 votes from my family, friends, online supporters that I’m grateful for. I knew I had no choice but to work harder on the Finale to increase my chances of winning.”
During the award ceremony, Ms Hemed donned an electric green sustainable fashion dress.
“I presented recycling plastic for sustainability talent with the collaborative help of a plastic recycling injection machine from the UAE,” said Ms Hemed.
The overall winner of the competition, Mrs Earth UAE winner (Mrs Debanjali Kamastra) qualified to contest for the global Mrs Earth held in Manila, Philippines, winning the Mrs Earth Global title.
“Participating in the Mrs Earth UAE contest was a true testament to the power of determination, authenticity and passion for a noble cause,” she adds.
She noted that the experience has inspired her to continue promoting sustainability and environmentalism in the UAE as the Year of Sustainability and globally.
“I’m proud to have been the first woman to represent Kenya in the UAE, in such a competition,” she stated.
Ms Hemed is the founder of Trashion Kenya, an initiative that promotes sustainable fashion and climate education.
She is also the co-team lead at the recently launched Green Futures Fellowship in partnership with Green Futures Uganda.
“In my passion for journalism activism and writing, I’m an author at Cappuccino Magazine and the PR and Communications Manager for Fashion Revolution movement in the UAE,” she revealed.
In addition, Ms Hemed holds a bachelor’s degree in business management from the University of Sunderland, Certificate in Green Business Technology from the Future Females Business School, and National Diploma in Business Administration from Nilai University of Malaysia.
She has five years’ experience in environmental conservation and sustainable fashion.
“I had big dreams growing up. I knew that I wanted to pursue a career in either journalism, IT, or environmental science. This has manifested into my budding career in sustainable fashion journalism and advocacy with a strong digital presence as a marketing professional, global ethical influencer, model, and humanitarian,” she recalled.
Moreover, she founded Trashion Kenya in 2017 as an initiative in Kenya inspired by the fashion and art waste-to-value creativity by Kenyan recycling artists, designers, and plastic recycling experts.
The aim was to not only highlight the value of waste and promote their products, but at the same time raise awareness and educate the public on the adverse effects of plastic and textile waste on climate change.
“I wanted to engage the community in Kenya and across the world. This is in line with finding solutions for a sustainable future,” she noted.
This involved volunteering in cleanups, mangrove planting and different charity projects.
“Trashion Kenya initiative has been introduced in schools in Kenya as Trashion Club and globally through educational programs, photography and videography visuals and storytelling, showcasing the different art and designs created out of trash by the Trashion community in Kenya and around the world,” she adds.
Her dream is to write a successful educational book, directing a documentary and establish Trashion Kenya as an educational institute that promotes sustainable innovation and practices to young people in most affected countries by climate change.