International Day of the Girl Child is celebrated annually on October 11 to raise awareness of gender inequality faced by girls worldwide.
To celebrate this unofficial holiday, Miss Universe accepted the challenge from Nomzamo Mbatha and shared a picture of herself as a young girl with her 2.7 million followers on Instagram.
She captioned the photo as: “Lol🤣 @nomzamo_m I can't believe you made me dig this gem up but it is International Day of The Girl Child, and I'm here for it! So, CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!!
"This here in the shiny, fabulous dress (number 80, with this smile) is 11 years old me. I was competing in a small community pageant and I had made top 5. This was my favourite part of the competition because I got to speak. I couldn't wait to show people what I had learnt from all the books I got from my grandmother and our tiny community library. I was unafraid because I had the greatest weapons; Education and a dream!
"Imagine how the world would be if every girl child was equipped with incredible knowledge. To every young girl. This is from 11 years old me. You are an incredible force, don't let that spark die. To every woman … you are doing an incredible job keeping those promises you made to yourself as a young girl. Keep on keeping. Happy International Day of The Girl Child! #GirlUpChallenge.”
Nomzamo Mbatha also participated in the challenge and shared an old picture of when she was still a cheerleader.
Taking to Instagram she said: “LOL, I was a little cheerleader for RED HOUSE during Sports Day at school when this picture was taken. I look at this little girl and I remember how big she dreamed. How BOLD she was … Who would’ve thought that from a small corner in South Africa, that little smile would be where it is now … If it were not for my teachers who saw the bright light before I realised it if it were not for the books that kept me Dreaming and imagining … I don’t know how life would look like right now. Education gave me the power to dream. The audacity to dare even greater.
"Dear 10-year-old Zamo, I have kept my promise. You gave me the courage, and I will never let go of it. On International Day of the Girl, I challenge you to get involved in the #GirlUpChallenge! Post a throwback photo of when you were a fearless kid ready to take on the world. Use the hashtag #GirlUpChallenge and pass it along to 10 loved ones. Let’s support girls’ education and unite girls around the world. @GirlUpCampaign @Moncler.”
Here’s more of our favourite #GirlUpChallenge