Jenelle has new platform to bridge the gap

Ex-Toti pupil Jenelle Ramsami is a finalist in the SA Bachelor and Bachelorette 2016 competition.

Not to be confused with the TV show ‘The Bachelor’, the SA Bachelor and Bachelorette of the Year competition was started six years ago to find the country’s most eligible bachelor and bachelorette, someone who encompasses brains, beauty, entrepreneurship and the spirit of Ubuntu.

It is not a match-making competition or a beauty pageant, but a competition where successful single candidates who are not married or engaged and aged 20 years and older can make a difference and create awareness through charity or community work.

Successful candidates are chosen countrywide and a judging panel selects the cream of the crop to battle it out to become the next SA Bachelor and Bachelorette. Finalists have to find their own sponsors, compete based on several challenges throughout the year and do their own fundraisers and media drives before the winners are announced at a glitzy gala event at Silverstar Casino in November.

Jenelle, who is partly deaf, was born in Durban and matriculated at the Durban School for the Hearing Impaired in Toti. She now lives in Pretoria.

“I am the only partly deaf contestant in this year’s competition and I really want to make a difference and show that I am capable of doing this,” said the 33-year-old. “I also want to raise funds by hosting events and get sponsored.

The owner of Copperstone Promotion, Jacques Momberg, who hosts the competition, asked me to enter, so I applied as it is a very good inititative to raise funds for cancer and the underprivileged community.”

Entrants had to meet the judges for interviews at Zebula Lodge before the finalists were announced.

“It’s still feels surreal that I was selected as a finalist. I’m truly honoured. I have received good feedback on social media, and the deaf community said a lot of positive things about how well I represented them. That really mattered to me and it was touching.

My disability has given me more drive in life to achieve my dreams and goals, that’s why I wanted to be a part of the competition. People’s lack of education of the deaf and disabled community has given them the false idea that someone who is deaf or disabled has a mental problem. My main goal in life is to bridge the gap between the disabled and the rest of the world and to educate humanity on the various disabilities.

I was fortunate to be in the company of disabled and terminally-ill children and I was able to motivate them to think and live beyond their challenges.”

Jenelle is a part-time model who has amassed many titles such as Fresh Look for Miss India SA in 2010, second princess for Miss Deaf KZN 2012 and top five in Xtreme Search Models 2011 and Miss Photogenic 2011. She has also appeared on SABC 3 for DTV.

Finalists have been given sponsorship documents to approach companies for sponsorships and do charity drives until the gala event in November. Jenelle has started a campaign called ‘Hearing Aids Rock’ where she is a social activist for the deaf and hard of hearing.

She is also assisting Cansa to raise funds. You can help by visiting www.givengain.com/ap/jenjoSAbachFinalist2016.

“If you believe in my dream to bridge the gap between the disability and mainstream world, then help me. Together we can make a difference and change society’s perspective of disadvantages and I will be a great ambassador to those willing to sponsor.”

If you want to sponsor Jenelle, call her on 079-471-1741 or email missjenjo@gmail.com.