Waris Dirie was born in Galkayo, Somalia in 1965 to a nomadic tribe. Although she embraced the traditions of her tribe and loved her family, when her father tried to marry her off to a much older man for the price of 5 camels, she knew her only option was to run away. After living with various family members in Mogadishu, a city in Somalia, she traveled to London with relatives and worked as a maid for them for four years.
When Dirie's family decided to move back to Somalia after their time in London, Dirie knew she could not go back and stayed on her own. She worked at McDonald's to make money and eventually got discovered by a photographer and her modeling career was launched. But this career did not come easily. Her biggest challenge was over her passport. She did not have a passport in London and therefore could not travel out of the country to model. To find ways to travel, she committed identity fraud, trusted shady lawyers who stole all her money, and eventually married a British citizen who became obsessive and dangerous to Dirie and her future.
Eventually, she was able to find a legitimate passport and her career was a great success. She worked with Iman, Naomi Campbell, and Cindy Crawford. She traveled to New York, Paris, Milan, and all over the world for modeling shoots and fashion shows.
Dirie met her husband, Dana, in New York and they quickly married and have a child Aleeke.
Dirie's story recieved a lot of media attention and the BBC network approached her to make a documentary based on her life. Dirie agreed as long as they promised to find her mother, who she had not seen since she ran away from home at the age of 13. Eventually, they found her mother and the two were reunited near the border to Somalia and Ethiopia.
Today, Dirie is an activist against female circumcision and is the UN Special Ambassador for the Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation. She also founded the Desert Flower Foundation which raises awareness about the dangers of Female Genital Mutilation.
When Dirie's family decided to move back to Somalia after their time in London, Dirie knew she could not go back and stayed on her own. She worked at McDonald's to make money and eventually got discovered by a photographer and her modeling career was launched. But this career did not come easily. Her biggest challenge was over her passport. She did not have a passport in London and therefore could not travel out of the country to model. To find ways to travel, she committed identity fraud, trusted shady lawyers who stole all her money, and eventually married a British citizen who became obsessive and dangerous to Dirie and her future.
Eventually, she was able to find a legitimate passport and her career was a great success. She worked with Iman, Naomi Campbell, and Cindy Crawford. She traveled to New York, Paris, Milan, and all over the world for modeling shoots and fashion shows.
Dirie met her husband, Dana, in New York and they quickly married and have a child Aleeke.
Dirie's story recieved a lot of media attention and the BBC network approached her to make a documentary based on her life. Dirie agreed as long as they promised to find her mother, who she had not seen since she ran away from home at the age of 13. Eventually, they found her mother and the two were reunited near the border to Somalia and Ethiopia.
Today, Dirie is an activist against female circumcision and is the UN Special Ambassador for the Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation. She also founded the Desert Flower Foundation which raises awareness about the dangers of Female Genital Mutilation.