Deborah Priya Henry

Deborah Henry graces the headlines and newspaper articles for her role as Miss Malaysia World (2007), Miss Universe Malaysia (2011), a successful International model and as a host and moderator for international conferences.

However, today, her dedication and passion are for humanitarian work, such as championing the rights of refugee children in Malaysia. Her involvement in providing education to the refugees started in 2008 when Deborah and her university classmate, Shikeen Halibullah taught Somalian children English and Mathematics in Kuala Lumpur. 

Words spread in the community and gained traction amongst the refugee families leading to the formation of Fugee School in 2009. Over a decade later, more than 500 refugee children’s lives were transformed through the non-profit organisation. 

Being positioned as a public figure constantly in the local and international spotlight, Deborah uses her influence and voice to support her humanitarian work. In the last five years, she became a full-fledged socialpreneur through the creation of Fugeelah, a social enterprise offering conscious jewellery brands. The profits from Fugeelah are channelled to educate refugee children and currently provide four refugee girls with full-time jobs. 

Deborah was listed in Forbes’ Asian Philanthropists and received the Golden Heart Award Tribute to Women in Malaysia in 2016. In 2018, Deborah was nominated by the US Embassy in Malaysia to represent the country at the International Visitor Leadership Programme (IVLP) organised by the US State Department. She has also been listed on Gen T.Malaysia in 2020 and as Asia’s Most Influential in 2021.

For more info on Fugee, click here.

Making an impact is providing equal access to education and livelihoods to all individuals. It is recognizing the potential in a child and equipping them with all the tools they need to succeed. It is also about looking at how to transform communities and mindsets to inculcate change across generations.