Sarah’s Story

Entrepreneur turned Beauty Pageant Queen, running a cleaning company and raising two teenage boys! How tough can it be? Surely anyone can do it right?

I would have never in a million years imagined myself for one moment, ever putting those words together.

How am I doing all this?

Being a mother, Beauty queen and running a business?

Answer= Mindset!

How you think about yourself is what will determine the outcome, so I turned mine around and chose to have “the audacity principle”-

When you truly consider in your heart and soul what you stand for, what is valuable to you.. ..

Your WHY and how you can achieve all of your hopes and dreams, no matter the circumstances, everything unfolds for you at the right time.

So, find your own voice and create the world you desire by changing your mindset.

Coming to England in my early teenage years meant that I had to face a number of obstacles:

1) How to make new friends in a world where social status as a teenager was very important.

2) Culture shock this was one concept I needed to understand and learn quickly if I was to be able to survive in my community.  

3) Will I ever remember my African roots because I have no African friends? 

The journey was very lonely and still is.

However, I was able to make friendships particularly friends from Ghana and I must admit, it wasn’t an easy transition moving from Botswana to the UK but I am grateful to have had the opportunity to grow in resilience, confidence and the courage to start my own business. 

My quest to find my African identity, allowed me to embrace the richness of my Zambian culture while discovering a deep affinity for West Africa.

This in turn has made me realise that despite our borders, Africa is one large village, a beautiful tapestry of intertwined cultures this defines us as one.

One of the reasons I started my business was to be in a better position to provide for my family.

With everything I am doing at the moment, I still face challenges of being a single mother and running a company while preparing for a Beauty Pageant.

The pressure is definitely on but the experiences have shaped me into an extraordinary woman.

Full of hopes and dreams to give back to the communities that have shaped me and my children.

Being a mother of two teenage boys, my goal is to contribute further in any way possible to local Youth centres whether it’s festivals, talent shows or etiquette training, the list goes on as at the end of it all my boys can continue the work I began in our Reading community. 

Leading by example as a business owner, is another example of social responsibility and I urge all businesses owners to do the same. 

SARAH’S STORY-BUSINESS

As a business owner, I see the value of social responsibility and it is my dream to contribute further, meaningfully to local charities and in Africa too.

I am currently an active advocate for several charities here in the UK and Africa.

I am committed to using the pageant Beauty queen platform to uplift women like me andopen up doors to those who need it most.

SARAH’S STORY- BY SUPPORTING CHARITIES WITH A SPECIAL FOCUS ON THE ELDERLY AND CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES.

Charities such as:

• ADDIZ (Alzheimer’s Disease and related Dementia in Zambia) my birth country. An inspirational charity choosing in honour of my grandmother after losing her to Dementia related disease. This charity is very dear to my heart as it aims to bring awareness in Africa of the effects this disease has and aims to educate communities; prevent further mistreatment of the elder. 

• The Me2 club another wonderful charity that focuses on integrating children with a wide range of disabilities into the community and supporting families. Another charity that’s doing an amazing job here in Reading and as a mother of autistic children, I’m grateful to be a part of this charity helping them in any way I can and getting my boys involved too.

• Ripple Africa in Malawi in honour of my grandmother who was from Malawi.  A very small African country in need of sustainable living and education. The charity has done amazing work over the years. It’s aim is to provide education on several self-sufficient tools.

• Adwuib Care plus foundation (NGO) another great charity in Ghana supporting people with disabilities and children. 

Back to Beauty Pageant Rehearsals,…

SARAH’S STORY -DAY 1 ETIQUETTE TRAINING

I had an amazing experience meeting our coach who taught us how to sit, talk, walk and carry ourselves in all our day to day lives.

This was great fun. 

Finding confidence and feeling it with conviction is very important. 

I learned that not everyone has the will power to see through tough moments, but you can achieve anything once you put your mind to it. 

Finals are in two weeks!

I have everything ready and excited to get going because no matter what happens, I have been able to achieve my dreams of helping my community meaningfully.

What an amazing opportunity this has been. 

The competition has taught me a lot about myself. 

Stepping outside my comfort zone has really allowed me to look within and find my sense if belonging, identity and spurred me on to stand for what I believe in and remembering that my WHY is greater than my HOW.

This crown is more than just a symbol of beauty to me.

It is an opportunity to further expand my reach in the UK, Africa and someday the rest of the world; being the voice to the voiceless as your African Queen.

Sakala Cleaning Service LTD