By Adia Jildo
South Sudanese model and winner miss deaf Africa have scooped another recognition for her best performance in Tanzania for Miss deaf international.
Josephine Kiden Simon had earlier this month made it to Tanzania where she performed alongside other persons and was given a leadership role to mentor models such as the current Miss deaf International.
“I was able to win four categories of the best model, the best congeniality, the best photogenic and the best top 5(top talent show 2022). I was also given a role of a leader where I mentored the Tanzanian model so that she can perform and she won. We succeeded and we were all happy for her. She was awarded the crown for miss deaf international” she said.
The courageous performance of Miss deaf, Josephine Kiden made her stand her ground despite the loss to still dream of one day that she will be crowned.
“I want to be the queen, maybe next year, I desired to be a model. I searched about it on social media and I went for it” she said.
Kiden said her scores were due to her determination and her past experience in Miss deaf Africa that has enable shape her to where she has reached.
“I had a lot of confidence and I said to myself that I would perform to the best of my life, the community of the persons with disability were able to support me. I really won. I feel confident” she said.
The Miss Deaf Africa however stated that all the awards and recognition was worth as she had to put much effort to make sure she made the country proud.
“If I did not struggle and perform well, I would be the last and I would not have obtained the top position. I worked hard so that I make it to the top position. That is the struggle that I had to put through to make my country proud” she stated.
Kiden explained that the journey had not been as easy as critics were always on the verge of speaking negative besides lack of support in the industry.
“Modeling is not easy especially for persons with disability. Most cases people think that as a person with disability is unable to do certain things, I want to tell people that persons with disability have the capacity, capability like none disable people. We are equally the same in everything happening in the world as long as the message reaches in the hearts of people” she emphasized calling on the community to support young talents and persons with disability.
The model disclosed her aims to become an international model such that she is able to mobilize and speak for the persons with disability.
“My career has made me to be someone. I have reached this level. I will continue to work to achieve my dreams and also for my colleagues, the future generation so that they can have a brighter future despite their disability” she said.
Kiden said her move to the industry is to inspire others with the same disability that they are able to do anything as long as their minds let them.
She stated that the need to support other persons with hearing impairment is her dream despite other organization doing these projects.
“I want to become an international model because whenever you see the world, people are competing, they are lobbying, looking for funds to support the country, our country South Sudan needs a lot of support for those with hearing impairment. They needed skills, they need to be educated because most of the persons with hearing impairment drop out of school once they get the coping mechanism is not working for them,” she noted.
“I want to lobby for funds through my network and NGO that I intent to make so that I raise these generation so that they become leaders for tomorrow.
Kiden currently tutors 13 girls and 20 boys in Juba into modeling career.
Kiden is a student of community development in one of the national Universities and currently works as a member in the national association for the deaf and also modeling. The model hopes to establish a talent search for models in South Sudan for everyone who aspires to become one.