Deborah Henry

Leaving Miss Malaysia behind to champion refugee children, Deborah Henry is unknowingly crafting a legacy for herself. We sat down with the Malaysian darling to talk about her ongoing efforts and humanitarian work.

- Daphne Ng

Born in Dublin, modeled in London, completed a degree in Brisbane, and recently tied the knot in India, Deborah Priya Henry has lived in many cities all over the world – but she calls Malaysia home.

Catapulted into the eyes of Malaysian media during her Miss Universe days, it’s easy to see where the former beauty pageant gets her natural laid back ease from. Deborah started her work with the refugee community when she was just 19. With her university friend Shikeen Halibullah, it began with the small but meaningful act of giving tuition to families. When they realised it was not a sustainable option, the idea of Fugee School was born.

“I started the school way before Miss Universe. We didn’t have a five-year business plan, both of us are not educators. Nothing comes easy and it’s certainly not perfect, but we just went into it,” Deborah recalls.