Witness Raphael will be representing Tanzania in this year’s Miss Wheelchair World contest in Mexico.
Ms Raphael, who was born with a spinal condition called Spina Bifida, says she’s expecting to emerge top in the contest because she has prepared for years.
“I used to take part in school contests and at one time I emerged second,” Ms Raphael told BBC News Swahili.
More recently she has endured bullying. It happened when one of Tanzania’s biggest social media personalities wrote about her story online.
“Some comments were mean – asking why I was wasting my time taking part in a beauty contest. Some claimed I had bleached my skin while others said I was too fat,” Ms Raphael said.
But she says her friends and family have been her support system, and she doesn’t regret putting herself out there.
Ms Raphael hopes to win at the global contest so as to encourage other women in Africa living with disabilities.
Other African nations taking part in Miss Wheelchair World this year include Nigeria, South Africa, Cameroon and Kenya.
(BBC)
