I grew up in Malaysia, Laos, Pakistan, Switzerland, and the United States, and saw first hand the ways conflict and disaster affect other children. Thanks to my mom’s job, I was able to meet Lao children who had been hurt by unexploded ordinance, Afghan children displaced to camps in Pakistan, and Rohingya children who fled their homes in Myanmar and were living on the street in Bangkok, Thailand.

My favorite book was Minfong Ho’s “The Clay Marble,” about a brave Cambodian girl whose imagination helps her cope when she is forced to escape across the border to save her own life.  This book gave me context for the injustices I was seeing against children, and taught me what I wanted to be when I grew up- a creative and a humanitarian, someone who uses imagination to create services, programs, spaces, and stories that heal. 

I have worked with and learned from crisis-affected people in Nepal, the Philippines, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Turkey, and Bangladesh.  When I met Rohingya artists and educators in Bangladesh, their courage inspired me to collaborate to create The Mango Seed, a healing story on displacement and the meaning of home. 

Please stay tuned to find out where you can pre-order The Mango Seed. All author royalties will fund BRAC’s Humanitarian Play Labs in Bangladesh. BRAC is rated the #1 non-governmental organization in the world by NGO Advisor, measured by innovation, impact, and governance. BRAC in Bangladesh collaborates with women, adolescents, and children to design Play Labs with motifs, paintings, and playful activities that are significant to Rohingya culture and Rohingya children’s memories of home. Proceeds from this book enable BRAC to continue to create safe, playful learning spaces for Rohingya children to heal and grow.

By reading this book, sharing it with friends, or bringing it to a classroom, you can help kids understand the story of Rohingya refugees. We hope this book helps you nurture the empathy, curiosity, and open hearts that all kids are born with. Thank you!