Harare — The Miss Biggy-Matofotofo Trust will soon embark on HIV and Aids awareness programmes targeting models and celebrities as they are highly exposed to the pandemic, Lwazi Mbowa the pageant's founder has said.

Mbowa urged various stakeholders to join in the fight against the scourge she said had robbed the country of its luminaries. "HIV and Aids have become a global issue and it now calls for everybody to be active and that is why we are calling upon everybody to play their part in reducing the infection rate.

"As a Trust, we hope to use our models for the campaign and we feel we can as well make a difference," she said.

Mbowa said Miss Biggy-Matofotofo would be working together with some organisations that are fighting the spread of HIV and Aids.

"We have contacted the National Arts Council in Bulawayo and they have expressed interest towards the partnership that will see our models teaching other models on the dangers of Aids.

"Personally, I feel it is high time that people admit that the scourge is there and we all need to come together," she said. Asked on why her Trust was interested in the HIV and Aids campaign, Mbowa said: "First and foremost, Aids is now a global issue and who knows, we can be heard as well. But, we are not only looking into that problem alone as we hope to tackle other heath problems affecting big women.

"We also hope to invite some experts in diet to teach our models on some diseases they are likely to face. "I also feel that time is now upon us that we teach each other (big women) on good eating habits because over-feeding has its own health problems."

Mbowa said despite last year's botched finals, she would not throw in the towel easily. "Last year's national finals had its own flaws but we are not losing heart all. "At the moment we have since lined-up a series of preliminaries as the search for the 2008 queen has started. "If all goes according to plan, we will have national finals on Africa Day where we will be promoting the fuller African figure using our models," she added.

The search for the new queen begins on February 23 in Tsholotsho where an array of performances has been lined up.

After the Tsholotsho affair, her team proceeds to Lupane, in Matabeleland North Province, for another search.

The Harare and Bulawayo preliminaries will also be held in the first quarter of the year. Harare-bred Sithembeni Zinyengere is the reigning Miss Biggy-Matofotofo having taken over from Nobesuthu Sibanda, the inaugural winner.