Last night, I attended an extraordinary event organised by Asylum Speakers and Juliet Kinsman at Inhabit Hotels | B Corp™ to hear the story of Giel Malual, a remarkable young man from South Sudan, who shared his incredible journey of survival, resilience, and hope.
Giel left home at just 13 to escape civil war, endured enslavement, imprisonment, and attempted to cross the Mediterranean four times, until he found safety in the UK four years later.
Since then, he has gone on to win the “Brightest Star” award at college, modelled for Nike, met the love of his life and recently welcomed his beautiful baby daughter into the world, all by the age of 20! He is also well-known and respected amongst the refugee community after saving the lives of hundreds of imprisoned refugees in Libya.
It was an honour to meet you Giel and hear your story firsthand.
Juliet powerfully highlighted how climate change will reshape human migration, noting that as Africa heats up, a quarter of the world’s countries will see increased displacement, driving more people to seek safety.
The discussion ended with the question “What can we do to help?” Here are a few ways you can start:
✔️ Follow and support organisations like Asylum Speakers
✔️ Share stories like Giel’s on social media
✔️ Attend awareness events like this (the final part of this series will take place in November book here: https://lnkd.in/eWnmwxzW)
✔️ You can book Giel and others to speak at one of your events
✔️ Read books that amplify refugee voices. I’ve already started reading my copy of Asylum Speaker’s beautiful book on the train back to Liverpool, you get your copy here: https://lnkd.in/eC4PSTU9)
As Giel powerfully said in his poem: “Through empathy we can bear kindness and make the world a better place.”
It’s times like these when you witness the real power of storytelling as a catalyst for change to give the unheard a voice, humanise statistics and inspire action.
How else can we amplify these stories and challenge misconceptions?
