Mary Maker
Mary Maker
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About Mary
South Sudanese refugee Mary Maker has been supporting UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, since 2018 and was appointed Goodwill Ambassador in 2023.
After fleeing her war-torn country as a child, Mary found security and hope through continuing her studies in Kenya’s Kakuma Refugee Camp. This experience shaped the trajectory of Mary’s life as she shifted from student to teacher in the camp and continues to teach young refugees in her community. Mary advocates passionately for education as an essential tool for rebuilding the lives of those in crisis and for empowering a generation of girls who are too often denied entrance into the classroom.
Despite enduring multiple hardships and facing seemingly insurmountable odds, Mary was accepted as a scholarship student at St. Olaf University in Minnesota, USA. Mary studied theatre and international relations and graduated with honours in May 2023.
Alongside her studies, Mary established her own non-profit organization, Elimisha Kakuma, which provides access to higher education opportunities for high school graduates living in Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya.
For the child of war, an education can turn their tears of loss into a passion for peace
Mary Maker is a student at St. Olaf College, Minnesota, USA. She fled South Sudan as a child and is now pursuing a degree in theatre.
Mary Maker is a student at St. Olaf College, Minnesota, USA. She fled South Sudan as a child and is now pursuing a degree in theatre.
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Recent support
Over the past five years, Mary has played a key role in UNHCR activities, supporting campaign moments, advocacy initiatives, and fundraising efforts.
In December 2023, Mary was a featured speaker at Global Washington’s Women of the World Breakfast in Seattle, WA, USA. She spoke about the impact of war on women and the importance of including women in conversations about solutions.
In September 2023, Mary advocated for refugee students everywhere at the Transforming Education High Impact Initiative, a side event of the 2023 UN General Assembly High-Level Week. She also participated in Google’s Goals House, speaking about the importance of powerful storytelling and how it can affect change.
In June 2023, Mary spoke with UNHCR and NowThis about the significance of her graduation and the strength it took to get to this moment for a feature piece celebrating World Refugee Day.
In March 2023, Mary attended TIME’s 2nd Annual Women of the Year Gala alongside fellow Goodwill Ambassador Cate Blanchett. Both women highlighted their support for refugees by sporting UNHCR blue ribbons.
To honour International Women’s Day in March, Mary took part in an interview with UN Women on the IWD theme of “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality”.
UNHCR's GWA and refugee Mary Maker graduates from St Olaf's College, Northfield Minnesota
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Mary’s passion for education shines through in her UNHCR activity, and in 2022, she wrote a piece for the annual Education Report. The same year, Mary spoke at the Transforming Education Summit in New York alongside Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
She has also been made a regular contributor to Forbes Magazine’s education section and featured in Al Jazeera’s podcast, The Stream, to discuss “What global action is needed to help refugees?” in which she emphasized the importance of education in achieving this.
In December 2021, Mary attended a virtual speaking event with other refugee students to discuss the launch of a UNHCR report on expanding education spaces for overseas refugees. The year before, she attended the Girl Up Summit with fellow Goodwill Ambassador Kat Graham; the summit focused on the importance of education for refugees.
In 2018, Mary gave an impassioned speech at TEDxKakumaCamp entitled ‘Why I fight for the education of refugee girls (like me) ’.
Mary has tirelessly advocated for refugees and UNHCR on multiple global media platforms including Sky News, ABC News, CBC Radio, and Al Jazeera.
By using her own voice to highlight the desperate need for humanitarian assistance for refugees, Mary plays an active and noble role in shaping the response to the global refugee crisis. Not only this, but by sharing her own story from displacement to university, Mary showcases the incredible resilience, talent, and ambition of refugees across the world.
Mary's work as a Goodwill Ambassador
News and highlights
Find the latest news and key highlights about Mary's work as a UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador.
