MaurineTheuri
Member
A former asylum seeker at Kakuma refugee camp has motivated and inspired youth to achieve their dreams and proved nothing is impossible after she confirmed having bought a house worth Ksh300m in the United States.
Adut Akech, who spent eight years in Kakuma as a refugee after the South Sudan civil war displaced her mother and family, has shocked the world by splashing Ksh 300M on a house in Los Angeles, USA.
Aketch's mother gave birth to her on her way to Kakuma camp while fleeing the skirmishes. While celebrating the achievement, Akech, who is now a model, said the new house is her fifth at the age of 21.
Ordinarily, the life of an asylum seeker is characterised with dependency on United Nations agencies and NGOs for basic needs and also filled with fear of the unknown.
An aerial photo of Kakuma Refugee Camp.
According to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees(UNHCR), 82.4 million people were forcefully displaced as of 2020.
This was an increase of 2.4 million people the previous year. Coming at a time when the Kenyan government on March 14,gave an ultimatum to UNHCR on the closing of the camps.
Akech's mother secured asylum in Australia after eight years of being a refugee in Kenya. It was at the age of 16 that Akech's modelling career began, after she was hired by a top modelling agency.
“DID IT, I BOUGHT MY FIRST HOUSE in America! I’m usually quiet about personal things like this, I just move in silence but this one is TOO big of an achievement and a proud moment for me to not share with the world. I cannot believe that at 21 years old I’m a proud owner of 5 HOUSES!!!” She celebrated her recent achievement.
In 2018 she blessed her mother with her dream car and a house, fulfilling the promise she had made.
Jungling between modelling at age of 16 years, her mother adamantly urged her to pursue her school first, but Akech made the promise to her.
Apart from modelling, she propagates a diversity campaign.
She once gave a keynote speech at the United Nations(UN) Headquarters about being a refugee and inspired the youth with her modelling experiences as a dark skin person