Passion or Profession: human-rights activist, model

Period: 1965-

Waris Dirie was one of 12 children born to desert nomads. At the age of 13 she ran away from her tribe rather than being sold into marriage with a much older man. She worked for her uncle in London, where she was discovered by a photographer. She became a successful model but left that career to campaign for women’s rights. She has also written a best-selling autobiography.