Launching a new life from a refugee camp, w/ Mary Maker | UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador | Awake at Night

War is Mary Maker’s earliest memory. Born in South Sudan and named Niriak — meaning "war" — she spent her youth living and working in one of the world’s largest refugee camps. Now a Goodwill Ambassador for UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, she is raising her voice on behalf of those she left behind, helping refugee students land scholarships to top universities.

“I want to be seen. I want to be heard. I want to be acknowledged. I want to be at the table, making decisions and feeling like a part of something. Are you able to see us? Are you? Are you able to go beyond the news and really understand that this is someone like you?”

After her family fled to safety, Mary built a new life of opportunity through education and hard work – finding her feet, and her voice, on stage. In this episode, she shares how she overcame a childhood marred by death and conflict, and how theater became both her refuge and her path forward.

[00:00] Introduction
[00:48] The meaning behind her name
[02:15] War as her earliest memory
[07:20] The journey to Kakuma refugee camp
[11:50] Early life in the camp
[14:40] Hope through education
[19:06] Discovering her love of theater
[23:15] Loss, grief, and raising her sisters
[28:52] Being back at Kakuma looking for hope
[30:55] The TEDx talk that changed everything
[35:56] What keeps Mary awake at night
[43:31] “The exceptional refugee”
[46:37] Closing remarks

Listen to more Awake at Night episodes: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwoDFQJEq_0b6hu1e8oxsch9W0D7vkNqt
#podcast #UnitedNations #AwakeAtNight #Refugees #UNHCR

About Awake at Night
Hosted by Melissa Fleming, UN Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications, the podcast ‘Awake at Night’ is an in-depth interview series focusing on remarkable United Nations staff members who dedicate their career to helping people in parts of the world where they have the hardest lives – from war zones and displacement camps to areas hit by disasters and the devastation of climate change.