Refugee Artist & Celebrity

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Lillian Ochan, 22-year-old refugee and model from Ethiopia, was forced to flee her home country in December 2006 after armed men in military uniforms attacked their town killing many and forcing many more to flee. During her flight, Lilian and her younger sister, Lucy, got separated from their mother. For two years, the two little girls had no idea of their mother’s whereabouts. Lilian was only 11 years old, just two years older than Lucy.

In 2008, the two girls were reunited with their mother before crossing the Kenya – South Sudan border. The family of three has spent the past 9 years as refugees in Dadaab refugee camp before being relocated to Kalobeyei settlement early this year.

Alexandria, Lilian’s mother was a refugee before meeting and getting married to Lilian’s father, Mr Ochan. She fled her home country in the year 1994 during the Rwanda genocide. “I have been a refugee all my life. I have no idea what to expect from such a life,” she says.

During her flight from Gambella in Ethiopia, Alexandria lost her baby, barely a month before her expected date of delivery. “ What hurts me most is knowing the person who killed my unborn child and drove me from my homeland is walking freely while my daughters and I are seeking refuge in a country that’s not my own,” says Alexandria.