UNHCR Nordic and Baltic Countries 103d ago

The Refugee Speakers Programme is run by UNHCR with support from TEDx. It gives people with refugee backgrounds the opportunity to develop their storytelling and public speaking skills. The programme aims to create space for stories that too often go unheard. When refugee situations are discussed, the focus is often on numbers. The numbers matter, but they do not tell the full story. Behind every number is a person, a family, and a life shaped by experiences of forced displacement. Unfortunately, Faridah will not be able to attend the event on 15 January. After many years of waiting, she has finally been able to undergo surgery to treat injuries resulting from sexual violence she was subjected to in her home country. Her story is extremely powerful. She was married at the age of 13 and became a mother at 15. After many years on the run, she eventually arrived in Sweden as a resettled refugee.