Waris Dirie
Somali born Waris Dirie fled her country as a teenage child and relocated to London. Spotted on the street by a photographer, her beauty thrust her onto the international modeling stage. Speaking out against her native country’s tradition of female circumcision became her passion, leading her to become an activist in the fight against female genital mutilation. The honor of being appointed a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations was bestowed upon Ms. Dirie, and in 2002 she created a foundation that dedicates itself to fighting and ending female genital mutilation.
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