Michaela DePrince

One windy day, a magazine blew down the road. I reached out and caught it. A pretty picture of a woman was on the front cover of the magazine. She wore a short pink dress that stuck out around her in a circle. She looked very happy. At the age of three, Michaela DePrince found a photo of a ballerina...

Growing up in war-torn Sierra Leone, Michaela DePrince witnesses atrocities that no child ever should. Her father is killed by rebels and her mother dies of famine. Sent to an orphanage, Michaela is mistreated and she sees the brutal murder of her favourite teachers. But there is hope: the Harmattan wind blows a magazine through the orphanage gates. Michaela picks...