Monica Akech, a Ugandan based in Norway and Program Manager of Beauty with Purpose – Miss Norway Organisation is on the run after defrauding Uganda’s Women at Work International (WAWI) organization having promised to bring six Miss Norway top competitors to grace a Fistula walk in the country.
SoftPower News has learnt that the six beauty queens from the Miss Norway pageant were invited to help support the Fistula campaign in Uganda, as a part of Miss World Beauty with a Purpose program from the 1st to the 7th of October 2018.
This included a high profile Norwegian embassy event with UN officials, WHO representatives and government all geared towards investing a lot of effort in fighting fistula in Uganda.
Our reporter has learnt from credible sources that the beauty queens got stranded at the Airport in Norway on September 30 after realizing that their air tickets were never purchased by the organisers.
“With shock, devastation and disbelief we experienced that air-flight tickets from the key organizer and initiator Monica Akech were false,” revealed a source.
“Six top contestants and winner of Miss Norway was told by the airfare company, at the Gardermoen Airport Oslo, Norway on Sunday Oct 30, that the airfare company didn’t list any of the women in Miss Norway as travelers to Uganda.”
The source added, “We’ve have been in contact with Monica Akech who is the initiator and project manager for the whole project duration, also asking for correct travel info since early September. Including many times back and forth on Sunday, when the travel info she provided was void.”
No travel information has since materialized, even with the whole Miss Norway organization involved, trying to help Akech.
This website has learnt from another source that despite efforts by the Executive Director, WAWI, Halima Namakulu to immediately work on issuing new air tickets, the girls were advised by the officials in Norway that Uganda wasn’t all that stable and secure for their stay.
“The Beauty queens from Norway are not coming because their embassy told them that Uganda is not stable as of now, their parents were afraid of the situation but we all know it’s not as bad as it seems to be to stop guests from coming.”
The events however will continue as planned despite the disappointments and will be commenced with a walk which purpose is to create awareness and mobilize Fistula Patients to come for treatment as well as fastening the prevention drive to teenage pregnancies that lead to Fistula in schools.
The six beauty queens that were expected in the country include; Sussane Naess Guttorm (Miss Universe Norway 2018), Madelen Michelsen (Miss World Norway 2018), Imen Habes (Miss Norway 2018), Helene Abildsnes (1st runners up Miss Norway 2018), Camila Elinor Devik- Miss International Norway 2016) and Ina Kollset (runner up at the Miss Norway 2018).