When most people think of Audrey Hepburn, they picture her in a long black dress, nibbling a pastry in the iconic scene from Breakfast At Tiffany’s. But for Little Bird Creative’s Emma Tofi, Audrey is far more than a Hollywood icon.
Born in Brussels, to an aristocratic family, it was dancing rather than acting that was young Audrey’s passion. Having begun ballet lessons at boarding school in Britain, Audrey moved to The Netherlands after WWII broke out. Although her parents had recruited and fundraised for the British Union of Fascists in the mid 1930s, Audrey performed silent dance recitals during the war, in order to raise money for the Dutch resistance against the Nazis. Her dreams of becoming a professional dancer were, however, dashed by the malnourishment she suffered during the Dutch famine, in the winter of 1944.
Audrey’s film career is well documented, but it’s what she did next that places her at number one on Emma’s list of heroes.
In 1989, Audrey officially became a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF, explaining that she had received aid from the charity as a child during the war and that she viewed working for them as a way of showing her gratitude. Following her first trip to Ethiopia the previous year, Audrey had told the press: “Third World is a term I don’t like very much, because we’re all one world.”
She fiercely believed in equality and compassion and devoted the rest of her life to this cause, travelling all over the world, raising awareness of those in desperate need. Her kindness and humanity are still remembered by those connected with UNICEF and beyond.
