I knew with all my heart that she was doing what was best for us, but that didn’t ease the pain.” - Alek Wek

There is no doubt that I would not be where I am today if it were not for the support relatives, friends, strangers – and UNHCR. I remember UNHCR field staff on the ground in Sudan, providing basic needs to those of us seeking aid. To this day, the sight of UNHCR’s blue logo still invokes in me a sense of comfort, of safe-keeping.

It was a time that I was just starting in fashion, to work. And the one thing that I told my agents was, ‘If you are going to represent me, I’m not going to be a gimmick and be in for a couple of seasons. You’re going to take it all or leave it.

In a matter of years, I went from a faceless refugee statistic to one of the most recognizable faces in the world.”