STORIES
Angels
DONATE

Audrey Hepburn

by Eva T from Eden Prairie, Minnesota in United States

When you hear the name Audrey Hepburn, what do you think? Most people would probably think: British actress, dancer, and a fashion icon. She was also ranked third for best female in the golden age of Hollywood. But she’s more than that; she’s a lifesaver of millions by being part of UNICEF. What does UNICEF mean? United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund. Audrey Hepburn was an ambassador for that fund.

Audrey Hepburn came into the world on May 4th, 1929 in Belgium. She grew up living in war in her early years. As soon as Great Britain declared war with Germany in WWII, her mother had them move to the Netherlands, as they were spared in WWI. As they were living in the Netherlands, Audrey started ballet lessons. After a few years she thought that ballet was what her career would be.

 As soon as the war ended, she moved to Amsterdam, where she started ballet with Sonia Gaskell. After a while of dancing she got into acting. One of her most well known movies is “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.” She did many movies, movies about war to movies about love. You name a genre, she’s probably done it.

“I was born with an enormous need for affection, and a terrible need to give it.” -Audrey Hepburn

In the 1950s she decided to hold two programs for UNICEF. Her first mission was to go to an orphanage in Mekele that was home to 500 starving children. Going there, she said, "I have a broken heart. I feel desperate. I can't stand the idea that two million people are in imminent danger of starving to death, many of them children, and not because there isn't tons of food sitting in the northern port of Shoa. It can't be distributed. Last spring, Red Cross and UNICEF workers were ordered out of the northern provinces because of two simultaneous civil wars... I went into rebel country and saw mothers and their children who had walked for ten days, even three weeks, looking for food, settling onto the desert floor into makeshift camps where they may die. Horrible. That image is too much for me. The 'Third World' is a term I don't like very much, because we're all one world. I want people to know that the largest part of humanity is suffering.”

Audrey was a hero to me, from her movies to her dedication to help others in need. She put others in front of herself. Not all celebrities can do that; most think only about themselves. Audrey has proven that even though she was a Hollywood Star, she won’t look past people in need. Who knows, maybe she possibly saved your relative? If she hadn’t, maybe you wouldn’t be here!

“As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.” -Audrey Hepburn

Page created on 12/12/2019 5:45:55 PM

Last edited 1/14/2020 11:25:17 PM

The beliefs, viewpoints and opinions expressed in this hero submission on the website are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs, viewpoints and opinions of The MY HERO Project and its staff.