Helena Christensen
“I hope my photographs can be a platform for the forcibly displaced to share their stories, a narrative that provides inspiration to support UNHCR’s important work providing shelter and safety for them, offering them the vital hope of a better future.”
About Helena
Model and photographer Helena Christensen has supported UNHCR since 2014.
As well as being one of the world’s most recognisable faces, Helena has also carved out a respected and distinguished international career in photography. Helena is using her creativity to work with UNHCR to tell refugee stories and strengthen the voices of the displaced.
Ahead of World Refugee Day 2015, Helena travelled with us to Colombia to document internally displaced women living in rural and urban environments, including the slums on the outskirts of Bogota. Helena said: “I wanted to use my skills to create a platform for these women’s stories which are both shocking and inspiring." Helena’s images were published in publications across the world.
Helena contributed to an important social media film that highlighted important differences between refugees and migrants, as well as the different protection they are entitled to under international law.
In photos: Helena Christensen meets Maribeth
01 April 2016
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Maribeth dances outside her house in Soacha, Colombia. "My spirit is free when I dance and I am in another world". © UNHCR/H. Christensen -
Helena photographs Maribeth dancing outside her house. © UNHCR/H. Perez -
Maribeth and her children at home. © UNHCR/H. Christensen -
Maribeth's eight-year-old daughter Marilyn studies in the local school. She also helps her mum cook traditional Choco food. © UNHCR/H. Christensen -
"Maribeth sells incredible tasting dishes made with rice, meat and lots of spices, wrapped and steamed in banana leaves," says Helena. © UNHCR/H. Christensen -
Maribeth and the family look at Marilyn's homework with Helena. © UNHCR/H. Perez
