Jessica Watson: My Heartbreaking Journey

Five years after she sailed around the world aged 16, Jessica Watson is taking on another tough challenge.

Watson, 22, has just returned from the Middle East, where she met with displaced families whose lives have been torn apart by the civil war in Syria.

As a Youth Ambassador for the United Nations’ World Food Programme, Watson’s role is raising awareness of the hardships suffered by families in the Syrian crisis.

"This has been a real whirlwind tour," says Gold Coast–born Watson, who visited Lebanon and Jordan. "We’ve been hearing about the crisis for some time. It’s been ongoing for four years and things haven’t changed but got worse. The scale is huge—millions of refugees."

During her time in Jordan, Watson met with Manala, a mother of five whose husband has gone missing in Syria. "There was a lot of shelling in their area so she left with her children and took five days to get to the refugee camp [in Jordan]," says Watson, who is studying media and communications at a Melbourne university. "They have challenging times ahead. I’d love to see this family have good fortune."

For Watson, the eye-opening trip "will take some time to sink in," she says. "Coming from Australia you can’t really get your head around how huge it is. In Lebanon you have about one quarter of the population as refugees. It's inconceivable. But meeting the people has been special for me. I want to go home and share their stories."

For more on Watson’s mission, pick up a copy of WHO, on sale now.