Alek Wek

“From nine years old, I lived with fear. I saw our neighbours disappearing. I was scared that I would come home from school and my parents would not be there.”

“We need to do everything we can to protect the health and welfare of children around the world, but fortunately, it's getting easier to provide things like medication and care.”

“My mother has always instilled in us that we should carry ourselves with dignity despite the horror that came with the civil war. She also taught us that where you come from is very important because that's what makes you who you are. So for me, whatever I've gone through had profoundly shaped me; it has given me strength and unwavering faith.”

“We survived on natural resources, so we should take care of the earth. When I leave home, I do things like switching off the heat and lights.”

“When I talk, it shouldn't just be black girls listening.”

“When my friends talk about childhood, I've never heard of any cartoons or TV they remember. The only thing we share is Michael Jackson. That's how far his music travelled - to a remote village on the other side of the world.”

“True beauty is born through our actions and aspirations and in the kindness we offer to others.”

“You've got to make yourself happy. I'm a happy person naturally.”

“Whenever I feel I am going through my own 'little' challenging moment, I just think about my mom.”

“The day you stop enjoying something is the day you should quit, if you can afford to.”

“Starting modeling in the '90s, it was quite surreal. They were like, 'You're so different! So weird! So bizarre!' And I'm like, 'I'm so normal. What are you talking about?'”

“I have short hair. It doesn't make me more unattractive than a woman or my sisters that have more longer hair and a bit lighter.”

“My father made sure of discipline, but my mum, she was serious business.”

“When I was 10 years old, I fled my homeland amid the bomb blasts of civil war in Sudan.”

“I am not really into buying a lot of expensive things.”

“I believe we should utilise any power we have for important issues that are bigger and beyond us. Whether it's with refugees or working to educate kids. I don't think you need to have gone through a civil war to do something. I believe as human beings, we can look out for each other.”

“Having arrived in London to seek refuge during the civil war in Sudan, where I was born, the thing I'm most proud of is having totally evolved. I came here not knowing how to speak English, but I went to school and learned; I adapted to this new culture.”