Every once in a while there is a moment when time stands still…that happened today. You my friend were the epitome of grace, love, and beauty. Every choice made at this wedding by you both will go down in history, not just because it was your wedding, but because this incredible wedding stood for change and hope…both things that the world needs desperately. Thank you for being the perfect picture of all things good. Seeing your union and love blessed in front of my eyes made me so happy…and tear up! 😑 I wish you both love happiness and togetherness always.💕 St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle
And then she danced the night away…. ✨
A very special thank you to @dior for making me sparkle. Also thank you to my incredible team for your brilliance and dedicated hustle…no one just “wakes up like this,” and I feel so happy to work with you and be the canvas for your creativity… @mimicuttrell @patidubroff @kenorourke1 you are genius!! @natashapal @danasupnick you made it so much easier! Love u loads! Coworth Park
Thank you 💜 @viviennewestwood @philiptreacy and @jimmychoo #harryandmeghan Windsor Castle
As I travel back from Cox’s Bazar to Los Angeles.. the only thing on my mind is how much privilege I have been blessed with. I thank each person who has contributed to making my life so blessed. I’m Grateful for all That I have and will always be on a quest to make life at least a little easier for as many as I can.I thank God for having the ability to do so.
I’m so moved by this @Unicef field trip to the #rohingyarefugeecamp in Bangladesh. To witness the incredible strength it takes just to survive.
The fight for survival is so primal.. and I’m humbled to have witnessed it.
Pls go to Unicef.org to see what you can do for the children of the world.
Thank you for sharing this journey with me.
This is little Shohida (8 months old), who stole my heart with her infectious smile. It’s a poignant reminder of the dichotomy of life…here she was getting all the help she needed, when just a few months before, her mother, Alada (who was only 19 years old at the time) walked for 15 days, while 6 months pregnant with her ,to get across the border. It shows us that there is hope left in this world.
When you’re dealing with a mass exodus of thousands of people, who have been displaced from their homes and are desperate for refuge, the need for proper health and nutrition takes center stage…especially for women and children.
On the various Unicef Field Visits I have taken, I am always surprised by the simple yet effective solutions that @unicef and their partners develop to deal with the most dire and pressing situations and issues. This is something I experienced again today during my visit to the Nutrition Centre at the Jamtoli camp in Cox’s Bazar. More than 60,000 babies have been born in the camps over the past 8 months, so this center is an essential resource for new mothers to learn about proper feeding and nutrition.
It all begins with the MUAC, a process where the child’s middle upper arm is measured to ascertain their nutrition level. From there, aids create a program for the child and a nutrient rich, ready-to-eat peanut paste is portioned out for each child based on the severity of malnutrition. At the Center mother’s are also taught basic hygiene and good health practices when they are in their homes.
The world needs to care. We need to care. Please lend your support at www.supportunicef.org #childrenuprooted @unicef @unicefbangladesh Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh
Oh LA…you got me like…😍 Beverly Hills, California
Welcomed by the UK sun… #nomakeupnofilter Windsor Great Park
I’m in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh today for a field visit with UNICEF, to one of the largest refugee camps in the world.
In the second half of 2017, the world saw horrific images of ethnic cleansing from the Rakhine State of Myanmar(Burma). This violence drove nearly 700,000 Rohingya across the border into Bangladesh – 60% are children!
Many months later they are still highly vulnerable, living in overcrowded camps with no idea when or where they will ever belong…even worse, when they will get their next meal. AND…as they finally start to settle and feel a sense of safety, monsoon season looms…threatening to destroy all that they’ve built so far. This is an entire generation of children that have no future in sight. Through their smiles I could see the vacancy in their eyes.
These children are at the forefront of this humanitarian crisis, and they desperately need our help.
The world needs to care. We need to care.
These kids are our future. Pls Lend your support at www.supportunicef.org
#ChildrenUprooted @unicef @unicefbangladesh
Credit: @briansokol @hhhtravels Cox’s Bazar
Oh, hello… Beverly Hills, California
Burgers and Chanel…my favourite combo with my fav girls. @anjula_acharia @mubinarattonsey @chanelofficial In-N-Out Burger
Bridal crew #squad ❤️💥 Coworth Park
Meanwhile…masi and baby…@sky.krishna best hugs ever @divya_jyoti Beverly Hills, California
. Beverly Hills, California
Sun is shining, the weather is sweet ❤️
…I’m ready for my close up…💕 Beverly Hills, California
When Mansur Ali, 12 yrs old, first came to the Child Friendly Space (CFS) at the Balukhali camp, he was only drawing scenes of bloodshed and violence. Helicopters shooting at him and his friends playing soccer… or his village and home being on fire with burning bodies all around him.. Today, his drawings reflect a more hopeful story, one we would like all these children to have.
Since the #Rohingya children have arrived in Cox’s Bazar, they have been living in overcrowded camps with no real place that to call their own. Imagine a space that lets you forget your troubles and be a child again… even if its only for just a few hours a day.
For the Rohingya children, over 300,000, in the camps in Bangladesh this is the only space that allows them to be kids.
These Child Friendly Spaces created by @unicef give kids access to art, music, dance, sport, and counselling etc. The space has often proved to be very therapeutic, helping these kids deal with the horrific situations they faced.. the @unicef aid workers work tirelessly to make sure these children find their spirit again.
It doesn’t matter where a child is from or what his or her circumstances are… NO child deserves a life without hope for the future.
The world needs to care. We need to care. Please lend your support at www.supportunicef.org #childrenuprooted @unicef @unicefbangladesh Balukhali Refugee Camp, Teknaf, Cox’s bazar
Sooooo excited to meet you baby @ayd.in welcome to this wonderful world.. I may have been tired when I met you but I love u sooooo much! Yay bhaiya! @irfan525 U a daddy!! Thank you @stace1711 you’re amazing! ❤️🙏🏽 #happymothersday #nephewlove
Across the river is Myanmar(Burma.) It’s empty now, but a few months ago this area, known as “Sabrang,” was filled with hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees fleeing Myanmar.
Their trip here was filled with many hardships and tremendous danger. Many of them made their journey on foot, walking for days through the hills, then floating across the Naf River or the Bay of Bengal on make shift boats…many of them injured, pregnant, elderly, etc. Their ordeal didn’t end here…after entering Bangladesh, they would often have to wait for days, sleeping in the open fields with no food or water, for aid workers to reach them.
For a lot of the Rohingya children, this ordeal will leave them scarred, physically and emotionally, for the rest of their lives. With your help, maybe these children can have a chance at a future…because right now, their future is bleak.
The world needs to care. We need to care. Please lend your support at www.supportunicef.org #ChildrenUprooted @unicef @unicefbangladesh Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh
💋💄 Beverly Hills, California
Pre Wedding SHEnanigans! 12:10AM the morning of…and still waiting for the dress! 📌 #funtimes #memories @mimicuttrell @maxeroberts @alice_7915 @natashapal @patidubroff @danasupnick #teamPC Ascot, Bracknell Forest, United Kingdom
I was quite literally knocked off my feet…a spontaneous, unfiltered moment with these amazing kids, who I spent a couple of hours with laughing and learning. It was as if for those few hours we all forgot where we were, and let ourselves be kids again (me included). One of the last stops on my field visit was at a @unicef Learning Center in the Balukhali Camp. Here, children are given a basic education of math, English, and Burmese through a colorful and engaging curriculum of song, drama, role playing. The age of the children in this classroom ranges between 7-10 years old, and for many of these kids this is their first school experience. There are over 400,000 children at these camps, but currently only 1/3 have access to education because of the lack of space and teachers.
Given everything these kids have been through, their was no shortage of excitement or hope when I asked the kids what they wanted to be when they grow up. Whether it be a journalist, doctor, school teacher, or in the military, receiving an education means they’re getting a chance to create the future they aspire for themselves.
The children are also taught basic hygiene, which is very important in a camp such as this, because of wide spread diseases like cholera and watery diarrhoea. Basics, like how to properly wash your hands, has actually helped to significantly reduce illnesses, and what’s amazing is that these kids go home and teach their parents and siblings the good health practices they’ve learned.
Its initiatives like this that are setting these kids up for a brighter future. As I sit amongst them, singing along, the lyrics have more meaning than ever… “deep in my heart, I still believe, we shall overcome one day! .” I know they will.
For those who’ve asked how they can contribute, here’s the answer… help every child get an education by logging on to www.supportunicef.org #childrenuprooted @unicef @unicefbangladesh Balukhali Refugee Camp, Teknaf, Cox’s bazar
As I walk into the Women Friendly Space at the Jamtoli Camp, I am instantly struck by a certain calmness. These camps are loud & crowded, actually overcrowded, and so to find a quiet oasis, in this case a small hut with a tarp roof and thatched bamboo walls, is surprising. But for the girls in this camp, this is what they call their “house of peace.” It’s a place they can come and just be. A place to interact with friends, seek counselling, learn about hygiene, or learn life skills like art and music.
There are approx 50 Women Friendly Spaces in the camps, just like this one, that on any given day see 50-70 Rohingya girls seeking these safe havens. The centers open at 9am, but there is seldom a day when the women aren’t lined up early, waiting for the doors to open.
It is here that I met three 18 year old young women, in particular, who’s stories really shook me – their names have been omitted to protect their identities. They recounted lives of pain and suffering so horrifying…it’s difficult to fathom. One scarred with memories of houses in her village being burned – she and her parents traveled for two days to get here, passing hundreds of decapitated and dismembered bodies along the way. Another shared stories of young girls being pulled from their homes to be raped and tortured. They even tried to kill her and cut her with a knife, but she fought back. How did you manage to be so brave, I asked her…she replied, “If you’re born you will die, so I’m not scared of dying today.” In what world is it normal for an 18 year old girl to have this perspective on life?! The third young woman traveled for nearly two weeks on foot through the forest, where her youngest brother died along the way. There was lots of rape and torture back home she told me, and some women’s breasts were even cut off.
While their lives are safer now, they are all still struggling. They know that with an education they can get a job and create better lives for their family, like buying protein for their meals, and clean drinking water. It’s literally as basic as that.
Please help however you can, no donation is too small…go to www.supportunicef.org #childrenuprooted @unicef Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh
Keep smiling! @madhumalati love u.. ❤️sending love to all the mothers who are and were and all the mothers to be.. 👩❤️👩 you are greatly appreciated #happymothersday
Pic credit @chandraashwin West Palm Beach, Florida
