“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.”

South Sudanese-British model and designer

Alek Wek is a South Sudanese-British model and designer, born in 1977. She began her fashion career at 18, in 1995, and became known for reshaping ideas of beauty in the fashion industry. She is from the Dinka ethnic group in South Sudan and fled to Britain in 1991 during the civil war in Sudan. In 2015, she was named one of the BBC's 100 Women.