Miss Justýna Zedníková helps children in Bangladesh
Justýna Zedníková is more than just a beautiful face. Behind the title of Miss Czech Republic 2023 lies the inspiring story of a young woman who was not afraid to step out of her comfort zone and venture into the unknown. As well as modelling, she is also involved in charity work in Bangladesh, where she supports the education of disadvantaged children. She met them at the end of March.
Justyna, how did you get involved in child sponsorship and the BanglaKids programme?
I had been looking for a way to help others for a long time. And because children are very close to my heart, I started going to the Klokanek Club to help vulnerable children, and I also supported volunteers and so on. But at the same time I thought I'd like to try helping abroad.
And when I was looking for the best place, I found ADRA and the BanglaKids project. I started sponsoring a little boy and ticked the box on the form that I would like to meet him in Bangladesh. I was very tempted.
An unforgettable encounter with Sonjon
And it worked! What was it like to meet Sonjoy, whom you are supporting in his studies?
I was very excited to meet him. And I must say I was a bit nervous too. But then we arrived at the school and the children gave us a lovely welcome. And that's when I first saw Sonjoy in the crowd of children. He's such a little guy, with a haircut that looks like he's digging through it. He's a man of his word among the boys, he's quite macho. :)
And when they called him, I was overwhelmed with emotion. I didn't know what to do, how to talk to him. I wanted to ask him so many things, but at the same time I didn't want to embarrass him because he doesn't have a dad. But Sonjoy came over and gave me a big hug. At that moment it was an explosion of emotions.
I started to cry... and it was really surreal, really beautiful. I didn't expect... or well, I expected to be touched, to cry. But it was really probably the most powerful and emotional experience of my life.
What was the power and uniqueness of your experience?
I think the whole experience was seeing how people live here. In the Czech Republic and in Europe we can't even imagine how people live here. In such a tiny little house that doesn't even have a roof and they have to sleep on the floor. And also how terribly nice they are. It adds this dimension of real humanity.
Meeting Sonjoy motivated you to support another child, a 10-year-old girl.
Yes, that's right. When I saw the conditions he was living in, I wanted to give that education to every child. Obviously I can't sponsor every child in Bangladesh, but I want to give that education and really change the future for as many children as I can. So I adopted a little girl 2 days later. I just couldn't help myself.
And my mum, when she saw that, she wanted to sponsor two children as well. And I've already had people write to me who've seen it on social media saying that they're definitely going to look into sponsoring as well, so I'm really excited about that.
When a Bengali child says: Come and play
That's very nice. At the school you had the opportunity to interact with the children, to play with them.
I loved that the children all played together. And I never noticed them being mean to each other in any way. The big ones played with the little ones and it was really nice. They enjoy everything.
And it's so nice to see that pure childlike joy. They got the ball and they were happy that they got the ball and they can all just play there. Or jump rope, or Ludo. Kids get excited about every little thing.
You probably spent a lot of time with the skipping when you were a kid.
Yes, yes, yes. (laughs)
At Mohipur Village School, a little girl cuddled up to you for perhaps half an hour.
The little girl was probably the youngest of all the children. She sat there by herself for a while. And she was looking at me and how everyone was playing. The boys with the balls. But she was so tiny, she couldn't play with them. So I motioned for her to come over. And she came and sat on me. And then she stayed there and watched us playing Ludo. And it was so cute the way she kind of cuddled up to me. Really nice.
And when the other girls saw that, they thought I was one of them and they came over to me. I was surrounded by about 12 little girls and they were all touching my fingers, my hair, just really cute. Then one of my hairs fell out and one of the girls put it in her pocket. (laughs)
A teacher with artistic inclinations
You also did a great job teaching 8th grade English. You did it in such a way that we'll probably never forget it.
Well, I'm glad. It was great for me. I was a bit nervous at first, but I really enjoyed it. It's really something that fulfils me and something that I want to do in the future. So at least I got to try it with the kids. And the kids were great again, even though they don't speak much English, they tried so hard.
Your acting and presentation skills were also evident in your teaching, which then shone through during the social evening. You danced and played the flute in a beautiful sari.
Florence, one of the teachers, came with me to try the traditional sari. So I tried it on. And then her daughter and her friends invited me to Florence's house. And they wanted me to rehearse the show with them. They had a video of the choreography and they were dancing.
And I tried to join them. The first two attempts were disastrous, I was spinning around like a pigeon, it was terrible. But the next day I had a free lesson, so I tried to learn. Well, I hope it went well.
Yes, yes, it was very nice. You danced in the middle and the little girls around you. Nobody would have thought you'd only practised for an hour. We also liked your flute playing. What was that song?
That's kind of my absolute favourite song, Pent Up, it's called, by Don Bateman. The kids like the more sing-songy songs and this one is a bit faster. I used to go to competitions with it and it was my absolute favourite. So I wanted to give them a little bit of me.
What is most important for a model?
You're a model, you won the Miss Czech Republic 2023 competition. Imagine little girls watching you and wanting to have a life and career like yours. What would you tell them?
I always wanted to be a model when I was little. But some things discouraged me. But somehow I got there. So if that's what the girls want to do, they should definitely go for it.
But every job has its pitfalls. Walking the catwalk and posing for the camera may look perfect, but it's not, and it has its downsides. Especially the psychological pressure is sometimes very hard. I often cry at home that I'm sick of it, that some people aren't nice to me.
And then you come here and you realise that you really have nothing to complain about, absolutely nothing. What I do is a walk in the park, really. And I chose it.
Sounds like you've had the "treatment" at the brick factory we visited in Bangladesh.
Yes, the brick treatment worked! (laughs) Modelling is not a sustainable job for me in the future anyway. One day I'll get to an age where I can't model anymore. So I'd rather go the teaching route.
Now it's your life, your job, but your heart is somewhere else.
Yes, yes, yes. That's true.
And I also realised here that we often complain about things we shouldn't complain about. And looking for problems where there aren't any.
And that it's kind of natural to chase happiness. That you think, if I do this, I'll be happier. If I just get there, I'll be happier. If I don't know what, I'll be happier. But you have to find that happiness within yourself right now, as it is. So that in the future he can achieve what he wants.
Justyna, what is the most important thing in your life?
Family comes first. We're all very close at home. My mom is my best friend. We share absolutely everything together. I can't imagine life without my family, without my mom. It would be a terribly sad life.
And that is probably the main reason why I decided to help disadvantaged children, because I know how important family is.
I also care about how you treat other people. I have a motto in my life: "Treat people with kindness." And I think that's how we should all operate. How I treat other people is very important to me.
Three Princess Wishes
That's nice. Now imagine you're not a model and Miss Justyna, but Princess Arabella with a magic ring. And you can make three wishes for the children of Bangladesh.
I wish all children could grow up with their parents in the best conditions. To have the best foundation for life. And also that they could all be educated, because education is certainly one of the basic building blocks of our lives.
And the third?
That would be a bit... a completely unrealistic wish. But just to make the hatred between people disappear.
One final word.
I'd like to thank you and ADRA for taking me in. Bangladesh has been one of the best experiences of my life. So thank you very much for that.
And I would also like to thank all the people who help and make this world a better place for other people.
Thank you for talking to me, Justyna. I think you make this world more beautiful too.
