The Miss World 2023 pageant is in full swing and Philippine bet Gwendolyne "Gwen" Fourniol is determined to clinch the country's second Miss World title.
And her efforts seem to be yielding positive results as she progresses in the competition.
Since the pageant commenced on February 18, 2024, Gwen has advanced to the semi-finals in three crucial Miss World Challenge events.
She secured a spot among the Top 40 finalists in the Sports Challenge and emerged as one of the qualifiers from Asia and Oceania.
The Sports Challenge was ultimately won by Miss Croatia, Lucija Begic.
Additionally, Gwen reached the Top 23 o the Talent Challenge, after showcasing her talent in singing. The winner of this challenge is yet to be announced.
GWENDOLYNE FOURNIOL: HEAD-TO-HEAD CHALLENGE
Gwen achieved a place among the Top 25 finalists in the Head-to-Head Challenge, which is considered one of the significant events in the competition.
For her opening statement, she quoted Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi and connected the quote to emphasize the importance of education for everyone.
Gwen said, "Mahatma Gandhi profoundly stated once, 'Live as if you were to die tomorrow, learn as if you were to live forever.'
"These words resonate with the timeless significance of education, as not just a privilege, but a human right.
"Now, today I speak before you to advocate for the Sustainable Development Goal No. 4, which is to ensure inclusive and equitable education for all and promote lifelong, lifetime opportunities."
Gwen proceeded to explain why this advocacy holds special meaning for her, recounting her mother's experience of using education to uplift their lives from poverty.
Gwen expressed her aspiration to replicate this success for the 7.9 million Filipino youth who are currently out of school.
She said, "Growing up, I personally experienced how my mother's journey was exceptionally the transformative power of access to education.
"Through the access of learning tools, which was all thanks to URDA Foundation, stands for Educational Research Development Assistance.
"They provided her with an opportunity and this enabled her to finish her academic degree and also enabled her to uplift our family out of poverty.
"This is what education is all about. It is to destroy the cycle of poverty and to open doors to opportunities, to a brighter future for individuals and communities."
The beauty queen continued, "Now, numbers do not lie. UNESCO reports an estimate of 258 million children and youth in the world do not go to school.
"And 7.9 million of those children are Filipino children.
"And even those who are enrolled, they don't even have fair access to quality education. It's all disparity.
"So, those children who are in marginalized communities have the least access to quality education.
"Girls, children from low-income families, and those who are in conflict areas have the least access to quality education."
To address the country's education challenge, Gwen presented a simplified three-step solution.
"Now, how can we solve this? The answer is TIP. Technology, Investment and Policy.
"With technology, we can leverage the educational gap that is currently happening.
And I have actually tried this in our learning center, which I've built with the help of many people.
"And we have gathered 20 iMacs, intranets, projectors, to make sure that the children will be able to learn even outside of classrooms.
"Second, investment. We have to invest into education and make sure that it is reached to marginalized communities.
"Personally, when I did an outreach in the Philippines, I went to a very isolated place called Guimaras, Iloilo.
"And I saw how hard it was for them to reach for resources, for learning tools, and I met a girl called Rodnia.
"Thanks to URDA, she is the first graduate of her tribe, and she is now a teacher.
"And that investment is that she is giving back to her community, she is teaching, and she is ensuring that all her six siblings will have access to education."
"Next is policy. Now, policymakers need to ensure that these policies and laws are regulated and mandated for people who don't have access to quality education...
"Those who are in dark places, isolated, those people I've worked with every single day at URDA Foundation in Baseco area, which is the poorest area in Manila.
"We need to ensure that these are the people that are being heard.
"Those children, their stories, stories like Rodnia, stories who deserve to be heard on a platform like this.
"And I want to thank Madam Julia Morley for giving us the Beauty With A Purpose platform for allowing those children to be heard. Because we are all interconnected as one Earth, one family, and one future."
Gwen narrowly missed out on making it to the Top 5 finalists, who secured their place in the top 40.
The winners of this challenge are Miss Botswana Lesego Chombo, Miss England Jessica Gagen, Miss Lebanon Yasmina Zaytoun, Miss Nigeria Ada Eme, and Miss Zimbabwe Nokutenda Marumbwa.
Meanwhile, the winner of the Top Model challenge will be determined today, March 2, 2024, Saturday.
In addition to the four challenges mentioned, Miss World pageant typically includes the Multimedia challenge.
Each challenge assigns points pivotal in determining the candidates who will progress to the Top 40 finalists.
The overall results will be disclosed during the grand coronation night of the pageant.
Gwen, along with 117 candidates representing countries worldwide, is presently in Mumbai, India, for the 71st edition of the pageant.
The current titleholder, Karolina Bielawska of Poland, will pass on her crown to the next winner at the Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai, India on March 9, 2024.
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