Alek Wek is not only one of the fashion world’s most recognisable faces; she is also an activist for human rights, dedicating a lot of her time to engaging in social issues. Her own experience of growing up in South Sudan during the civil war has formed her into the advocate for human rights that she is today.
Alek was born in Wau, South Sudan in 1977, and grew up as a member of the Dinka tribe. She was initially forced to flee her hometown to escape the north-south civil war in 1987 and, at the age of 14, made her way to the United Kingdom from the Sudanese capital, Khartoum. It was in the UK, at a street fair, that she was discovered. She has since gone on to become the supermodel that she is; modelling for the world’s leading fashion houses. She has been named one of People magazine’s “50 Most Beautiful People” and “50 Most Influential Faces in Fashion”.
In April 2014 Alek Wek joined the H&M Conscious Foundation as an official ambassador. Alek was introduced to H&M Conscious Foundation when she was asked to give her opinion on which global challenges she found most immediate and relevant for the foundation to support. As an ambassador she is now supporting the work that the H&M Conscious Foundation does within its three focus areas: education, clean water and strengthening women - areas she feels strongly about on a personal level.
When making a speech about the H&M Conscious Foundation’s work at the World Leaders Forum event “Children in the Age of Sustainable Development” at Columbia University in September, she told her story about why she cares deeply about these global issues.
“I know firsthand about being vulnerable. We were forced to flee our home to a refugee camp when I was 12. I have seen young girls pass away before 8th grade in child birth when they are just kids; if they were in school that would not be happening. If it was not for education to help guide me, I would not be standing here telling my story, that’s the honest truth,” Alek stated.
“I grew up in South Sudan before its independence and my father worked in the board of education so education was embedded in the boys and girls in our family. He emphasised in particular that girls need education. If you educate a girl you educate a family, community and society,” she commented.
She has also experienced the importance of clean water. As the civil war broke out in South Sudan her mother would boil water for her and her siblings so they wouldn’t get sick from the contaminated water.
“Access to clean water is a basic human right and an integral piece of a developing community, village or city. When I visited the refugee camps in South Sudan a year after independence I saw so many children out of school or no schools, walking for two or three miles, just to get to school, not to mention most have illnesses such as diarrhea as a result of drinking dirty contaminated water.”
The collaboration between Alek Wek and H&M Conscious Foundation will initially run for three years.
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