Syrian refugee Yusra Mardini was appointed the youngest ever UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador in April 2017. She advocates for refugees globally through sharing her own inspiring story and has become a powerful voice for the forcibly displaced across the world and an example of their resilience and determination to rebuild lives and positively contribute to host communities.
'
Yusra Mardini - Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6
Yusra fled the war in Syria with her sister, travelling through Lebanon and Turkey before trying to reach Greece by boat. As competitive swimmers in Syria, when the motor failed, Yusra, her sister and two others jumped into the sea and swam for three hours in open water to stop their dinghy from capsizing, saving the lives of 20 people. Eventually they reached the Greek island of Lesvos. Yusra then made her way across Europe to Germany where she re-started her swimming training in Berlin.
