WINDHOEK – The 20-year-old beauty, Julia Kandjimbi, who was just crowned Miss Walvis Bay over the weekend, is embarking on a “one dollar project” early next year, by knocking on people’s doors to collect funds for her projects.
She also plans on coming up with online donations, to collect funds that will help vulnerable children. Having participated in 10 big pageants in Namibia over the past few years, Kandjimbi, who wants to grow as a model and also become a business person, says she is also eying many community projects that can contribute to young people’s lives. Next year, she is focusing on completing her final year in school, and grow her brand. “The projects that I will be doing [will] not only [be] focusing on supporting vulnerable children and the elderly, but I would really like to put a stop to abuse of young models who are being taken advantage of as well,” says Kandjimbi, adding that she feels most pageant organisers don’t really know the importance of models, and she would love to put an end to this.
Currently a student at the College of the Arts (Cota) studying fashion, Kandjimbi is not just beauty but brains as well, and a budding business person running and owning a modelling agency that trains other young models on how to catwalk. Next year, she will also take on community programmes, which include charity and involving the youth in developmental programmes.
Kandjimbi has so far this year won Miss Crayfish Festival in Luderitz, Miss Mining in Orandjemund, and also came at first or second runner-up in other pageants. She started modeling when she was just five years old.