For nearly 30 years, I was a stateless person.

That meant I had no country, no nationality, and I was not recognized as a citizen of the place where I was born. I could not go to school, travel, or even go to the hospital. I fought for decades to be counted as a human being. To belong. Through great determination and resilience, I achieved my dream, but not in the way you might expect.

Life doesn’t always go the way we plan it. Life goes the way it comes and then the way we choose to live it. As a motivational speaker and defender of human rights, I can now share with others how I achieved my dream against all odds and inspire others to realize their true potential, their dreams. After all, there are many things we don’t get to choose—where we are born, who our family is—but we can choose to never give up!

Transforming Mindsets with Moving Speeches

Maha has told her story in nearly 20 countries around the world. She’s spoken at seminars and events for corporations, schools and colleges, humanitarian-aid organizations, and governments. She’s given interviews to countless media outlets and publications.

Whether you’re looking to raise awareness of statelessness or wanting to motivate an audience around a theme of resiliency or grit, Maha can tailor her talk to align with your goals.

Partners

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Testimonials

“Having Maha share her life experiences and special moments helped the team to rethink some things, reviewing what is really important and what must be put aside as we cannot change. We all must revaluate aspects ourselves on the path of life, and on that, Maha has immense, vast and rich experiences that can be applied to any team to grow and be better equipped to face reality.”

Tiago Pereira de Queiro, CEO Sylvania Costa Rica

“Her personal story absolutely blew me away… (She's) an extraordinary beacon of hope”

Cate Blanchett, Actress and Activist

“We invited Maha to open a LATAM WPP STREAM event, and she was incredible. Maha was by far the most inspiring part of the event. Opening the event with her was perfect as it set the tone for the rest of the days — the tone that nothing, absolutely nothing, is impossible. She is a true inspiration to me and all of us.”

Leticia Arslanian, Chief Growth Officer, Ogilvy Group

“Immigrants and stateless people have a voice with Maha’s story. Maha Mamo: a great role model and most importantly, a great human being!”

Gustavo Araujo, Focus Brazil

Activist to End Statelessness

Sharing her story is one of the primary ways Maha raises awareness of the plight of the stateless. It is difficult to know the exact number of stateless persons in the world, but the UNHCR estimates there are many millions globally, of which approximately one third are children.

To help people who are denied a nationality, Maha has become a tireless champion and a well-known face of the UNHCR campaign #IBELONG (alongside celebrity crusader Cate Blanchett). She has also committed to helping the stateless by collecting and sharing resources that will help people find legal advocacy and assistance around the world.