Earth’s care is Amanda’s priority

She has stopped wearing certain make-up because it is tested on animals, but that is not the full extent of her passion says Amanda Favel (23).

Being Florida’s own Miss Earth finalist, she hopes to be able to do more for the elderly citizens and helpless animals in her community. Favel was announced one of the finalists in April and she hopes to win at end August when the final decision will be made.

“We were judged on many factors, including our poise, beauty and ability to assist our community,” she said.

“We had to attend workshops on things like electricity and different animal species – we also were exposed to Beauty Without Cruelty’s (BWC) educational videos on animal testing and animal abuse – and after that, I stopped using my regular make-up brand.

“I was so nauseated by the fact that animals — that don’t even have similar skin texture or eyes to ours — were being abused in order to test shampoos and beauty products for our use.”

Favel is not just another pageant girl and has earned her BComm degree in Tourism Management from Unisa. She also plans on completing courses next year through the South African Institute of Welding (SAIW) where she will focus on welding and fabrication inspection. Favel was born in Nahariya, Israel, but has been a Roodepoort resident all her life, attending Florida Primary School and Florida Park High School. She currently is securing sponsors for her community projects and already is sponsored by Clover. She hopes to adopt an animal welfare organisation and already has adopted Thandanani Centre for the mentally ill as her leading project.

“The ideal Miss Earth would be someone who cares about others and will do anything in her power to help people and animals. She’ll also have a passion for the environment.”