OPEN BRITAIN B/W - Joel Mordi was born in Nigeria and adopted by a wealthy family at six, enjoying a sheltered, privileged upbringing despite being bullied at school. In 2015, he founded the Mordi Ibe Foundation to tackle educational inequality and organised Nigeria’s first month-long Pride protest, which forced him to flee. Arriving in the UK during Covid as an asylum seeker, he faced detention, victimisation, and a homophobic assault, living on the streets before finding stability. Joel studies Global Development at the University of York, co-founded the Minority Inclusion Foundation with Amanda, and launched the ‘Two Refugees Walking’ project, walking 32 London boroughs to symbolise journeys to safety. Joel walks backwards to challenge harmful laws, Amanda forwards to signify hope. Funds go to charities supporting refugees. On 2 February 2024, Joel attempted his first Guinness World Record, covering 65KM walking backwards in 12 hours—the first of three record attempts.

Joel Mordi was born in Nigeria and adopted by a wealthy family at six, enjoying a sheltered, privileged upbringing despite being bullied at school. In 2015, he founded the Mordi Ibe Foundation to tackle educational inequality and organised Nigeria’s first month-long Pride protest, which forced him to flee. Arriving in the UK during Covid as an asylum seeker, he faced detention, victimisation, and a homophobic assault, living on the streets before finding stability. Joel studies Global Development at the University of York, co-founded the Minority Inclusion Foundation with Amanda, and launched the ‘Two Refugees Walking’ project, walking 32 London boroughs to symbolise journeys to safety. Joel walks backwards to challenge harmful laws, Amanda forwards to signify hope. Funds go to charities supporting refugees. On 2 February 2024, Joel attempted his first Guinness World Record, covering 65KM walking backwards in 12 hours—the first of three record attempts.

OPEN BRITAIN B/W - Hannah Elsa Shamash was born in Berlin in 1927, daughter of a pioneering radiologist. She remembers Kristallnacht, 10 November 1938, when Jewish men were rounded up. Her father avoided arrest by riding the underground for three days. On 2 March 1939, Elsa and her brother Heinz were sent via Holland on the Kindertransport to London, sponsored by an uncle. Separated into boarding schools, they often cried themselves to sleep. In April, their parents joined them with £1 and a wedding ring. Life slowly improved despite war and hardship. Elsa thrived at school in Cambridge, joined the Girl Guides, and studied French and Spanish at Queen Mary College. She became a teacher, married Saleh, and had two children. Forty-seven years later, she returned to Germany, invited by the mayor of Berlin. Now she volunteers with refugee women, recognising the desperate patterns of displacement, sadly witnessing history repeat itself.

Hannah Elsa Shamash was born in Berlin in 1927, daughter of a pioneering radiologist. She remembers Kristallnacht, 10 November 1938, when Jewish men were rounded up. Her father avoided arrest by riding the underground for three days. On 2 March 1939, Elsa and her brother Heinz were sent via Holland on the Kindertransport to London, sponsored by an uncle. Separated into boarding schools, they often cried themselves to sleep. In April, their parents joined them with £1 and a wedding ring. Life slowly improved despite war and hardship. Elsa thrived at school in Cambridge, joined the Girl Guides, and studied French and Spanish at Queen Mary College. She became a teacher, married Saleh, and had two children. Forty-seven years later, she returned to Germany, invited by the mayor of Berlin. Now she volunteers with refugee women, recognising the desperate patterns of displacement, sadly witnessing history repeat itself.

OPEN BRITAIN B/W - Amanda Kananda is from Uganda, one of seven siblings. Her father was a doctor, her mother a seamstress. She earned a first-class degree in Business Administration in Uganda and a Commonwealth Shared Scholarship to pursue an MSc in International Development, Social Justice and Sustainability at the University of Bath, graduating in 2022. Before moving to the UK, she worked at Transgender Equality Uganda advocating for trans rights. Following Uganda’s 2023 Anti-Homosexuality Act, which criminalised consensual same-sex conduct and targeted trans people, Amanda could not return home. She was the first Ugandan in Miss Trans Global, becoming Miss Trans Global Uganda 2022. In the UK, she co-founded the Minority Inclusion Foundation with Joel Mordi. Together, as ‘Two Refugees Walking’, they are walking 2,500 miles around London to raise funds for refugee charities. Amanda, having faced extreme homophobia in Uganda, is dedicated to making life easier and safer for others like her.

Amanda Kananda is from Uganda, one of seven siblings. Her father was a doctor, her mother a seamstress. She earned a first-class degree in Business Administration in Uganda and a Commonwealth Shared Scholarship to pursue an MSc in International Development, Social Justice and Sustainability at the University of Bath, graduating in 2022. Before moving to the UK, she worked at Transgender Equality Uganda advocating for trans rights. Following Uganda’s 2023 Anti-Homosexuality Act, which criminalised consensual same-sex conduct and targeted trans people, Amanda could not return home. She was the first Ugandan in Miss Trans Global, becoming Miss Trans Global Uganda 2022. In the UK, she co-founded the Minority Inclusion Foundation with Joel Mordi. Together, as ‘Two Refugees Walking’, they are walking 2,500 miles around London to raise funds for refugee charities. Amanda, having faced extreme homophobia in Uganda, is dedicated to making life easier and safer for others like her.

OPEN BRITAIN B/W - Jama Elmi was born in Somalia and moved to the UK aged eight, when his father, a former ambassador, fled the Civil War with his six children. Starting school in Chalk Farm, Jama found it hard to make friends—until, at nine, he bought pink trousers and a Hawaiian shirt. Instantly, everyone wanted to know him. Years later, on a dull Central Line journey, he looked around and saw only black, white, and grey. Frustrated, he went shopping, reigniting his love of flamboyant dressing. Now he owns around 90 colourful suits. A mental health support worker, Jama wore his rainbow suit to his job interview; residents’ smiles and hugs won him the position on the spot. His outfits now play a vital therapeutic role—residents choose colours for him to wear, sparking joy and conversation. Known as “London’s Best Dressed Man,” Jama brings brightness everywhere, especially to his mother, though she frets about the cost.A

Jama Elmi was born in Somalia and moved to the UK aged eight, when his father, a former ambassador, fled the Civil War with his six children. Starting school in Chalk Farm, Jama found it hard to make friends—until, at nine, he bought pink trousers and a Hawaiian shirt. Instantly, everyone wanted to know him. Years later, on a dull Central Line journey, he looked around and saw only black, white, and grey. Frustrated, he went shopping, reigniting his love of flamboyant dressing. Now he owns around 90 colourful suits. A mental health support worker, Jama wore his rainbow suit to his job interview; residents’ smiles and hugs won him the position on the spot. His outfits now play a vital therapeutic role—residents choose colours for him to wear, sparking joy and conversation. Known as “London’s Best Dressed Man,” Jama brings brightness everywhere, especially to his mother, though she frets about the cost.A

OPEN BRITAIN B/W - Rafael Montero was born in San Pedro de Jujuy, Northern Argentina, to Bolivian parents and descends from Curanderos of the Callawaya people—shamans who travelled globally, using medicinal plants and performing surgeries as early as 700 AD. He studied law and classical singing in Córdoba, balancing his parents’ expectations with his own passion. After a singing scholarship in Switzerland, law was left behind. He taught and performed baroque music in Cologne before forming EL PARNASO HISPANO in London in 2019, an ensemble specialising in early Iberian and Latin American music. Rafael identifies as DosNaturas (TwoSpirit), integrating male and female identities, reflecting Indigenous traditions of multiple genders. He also runs a shamanic coaching and healing practice in North London. Deeply aware of Western dominance and its historical impacts on Indigenous peoples across the Americas, he chose Syon House for a photoshoot, linking to the story of Pocahontas and the colonial history of Indigenous peoples in England, highlighting cultural memory and ancestral respect.

Rafael Montero was born in San Pedro de Jujuy, Northern Argentina, to Bolivian parents and descends from Curanderos of the Callawaya people—shamans who travelled globally, using medicinal plants and performing surgeries as early as 700 AD. He studied law and classical singing in Córdoba, balancing his parents’ expectations with his own passion. After a singing scholarship in Switzerland, law was left behind. He taught and performed baroque music in Cologne before forming EL PARNASO HISPANO in London in 2019, an ensemble specialising in early Iberian and Latin American music. Rafael identifies as DosNaturas (TwoSpirit), integrating male and female identities, reflecting Indigenous traditions of multiple genders. He also runs a shamanic coaching and healing practice in North London. Deeply aware of Western dominance and its historical impacts on Indigenous peoples across the Americas, he chose Syon House for a photoshoot, linking to the story of Pocahontas and the colonial history of Indigenous peoples in England, highlighting cultural memory and ancestral respect.

OPEN BRITAIN B/W - Michiko Mitsuishi Dodd, 101, was born in the seaside town of Kobe, Japan. One of four children, her eldest sister “eloped with an idiot,” breaking their father’s heart. He died when Michi was 12. In 1947 she met her husband Jeremy at a party on an RAF base, where he worked in the hospital and she as an interpreter. “He looked very miserable, and I felt sorry for him,” she said. They had three sons and a daughter. When Jeremy returned to England, Michi stayed behind in Japan, where life was harsh for single mothers. Her father-in-law helped bring her to England, where they married. After time in the USA and Japan, they settled in the UK but later divorced. Michi and the children bought and converted railway carriages on the south coast—she haggled the price down from £3,000 to £2,750. Sixty years later, she still lives there, now cared for by her daughter Rachel. Her hearing may be fading, but her independence and spirit remain undimmed.

Michiko Mitsuishi Dodd, 101, was born in the seaside town of Kobe, Japan. One of four children, her eldest sister “eloped with an idiot,” breaking their father’s heart. He died when Michi was 12. In 1947 she met her husband Jeremy at a party on an RAF base, where he worked in the hospital and she as an interpreter. “He looked very miserable, and I felt sorry for him,” she said. They had three sons and a daughter. When Jeremy returned to England, Michi stayed behind in Japan, where life was harsh for single mothers. Her father-in-law helped bring her to England, where they married. After time in the USA and Japan, they settled in the UK but later divorced. Michi and the children bought and converted railway carriages on the south coast—she haggled the price down from £3,000 to £2,750. Sixty years later, she still lives there, now cared for by her daughter Rachel. Her hearing may be fading, but her independence and spirit remain undimmed.

OPEN BRITAIN B/W - Veronika Shmorhun was born in Kyiv in 1992 and grew up in Kherson Oblast, southern Ukraine. She earned a BA in Graphic Design and an MA in Kyiv before moving to Bucha, just as Russia invaded. She endured two weeks under occupation, facing cold, bombing, and escalating danger, before evacuating westward through Poland and flying to London in April 2022. Staying with her cousin, she began painting, holding four exhibitions in under two years, including a group show at the Saatchi Gallery. Her work, inspired by both the devastation of war and the calm of UK landscapes, focuses on nature—burnt grain fields, broken trees, forests, and parks. A fashion-trained designer, she creates modern tributes to Ukrainian national dress, using black for ploughed land and loss, red for love, life, and blood. She now works with TERN to build her profile as an artist while developing a career in film post-production, hoping for Europe as a safe home while carrying the weight of her homeland.

Veronika Shmorhun was born in Kyiv in 1992 and grew up in Kherson Oblast, southern Ukraine. She earned a BA in Graphic Design and an MA in Kyiv before moving to Bucha, just as Russia invaded. She endured two weeks under occupation, facing cold, bombing, and escalating danger, before evacuating westward through Poland and flying to London in April 2022. Staying with her cousin, she began painting, holding four exhibitions in under two years, including a group show at the Saatchi Gallery. Her work, inspired by both the devastation of war and the calm of UK landscapes, focuses on nature—burnt grain fields, broken trees, forests, and parks. A fashion-trained designer, she creates modern tributes to Ukrainian national dress, using black for ploughed land and loss, red for love, life, and blood. She now works with TERN to build her profile as an artist while developing a career in film post-production, hoping for Europe as a safe home while carrying the weight of her homeland.

OPEN BRITAIN B/W - Amanda Kananda and Joel Mordi are united by their experiences as refugees and their commitment to helping others. Together they co-founded the Minority Inclusion Foundation UK (MIF UK) to support marginalised and displaced communities. Their flagship project, ‘Two Refugees Walking’, sees them walking 2,500 miles across London, symbolising the average journey people from war-torn countries make to reach safety. Joel walks backwards to challenge harmful laws and policies, while Amanda walks forwards to signify hope, resilience, and love. Funds raised support charities including Rainbow Migration, UNHCR, Safe Passage International, and MIF UK itself. Their collaboration merges advocacy, creativity, and endurance, raising awareness of refugee experiences while providing tangible support. Both draw on their personal journeys of survival and perseverance, turning past hardship into action that empowers others, ensuring that no one fleeing persecution walks alone.

Amanda Kananda and Joel Mordi are united by their experiences as refugees and their commitment to helping others. Together they co-founded the Minority Inclusion Foundation UK (MIF UK) to support marginalised and displaced communities. Their flagship project, ‘Two Refugees Walking’, sees them walking 2,500 miles across London, symbolising the average journey people from war-torn countries make to reach safety. Joel walks backwards to challenge harmful laws and policies, while Amanda walks forwards to signify hope, resilience, and love. Funds raised support charities including Rainbow Migration, UNHCR, Safe Passage International, and MIF UK itself. Their collaboration merges advocacy, creativity, and endurance, raising awareness of refugee experiences while providing tangible support. Both draw on their personal journeys of survival and perseverance, turning past hardship into action that empowers others, ensuring that no one fleeing persecution walks alone.

OPEN BRITAIN B/W - Vera Schaufeld, MBE, was born in Prague in 1930. Her father was a lawyer and her mother studied to be a doctor, unusual for a Jewish woman at the time. In 1936, Nazi occupation disrupted her happy childhood; her father was arrested. At nine, her mother sent her alone on the Kindertransport to England, the last time she saw her parents, who were later murdered in Terezin and Tawniki camps. Vera stayed with the Fairs family in London, forming a lifelong friendship with their daughter Betty. After school, she trained as an English teacher and spent a year on a kibbutz, where she met her husband Avram, a concentration camp survivor. They married in 1952 and returned to England. Vera became a recruiter and examiner of teachers for migrant children, placing over 100 educators to help refugees from Uganda and Kenya integrate. Her work, driven by her own experience of arriving in a foreign land, earned her an MBE.

Vera Schaufeld, MBE, was born in Prague in 1930. Her father was a lawyer and her mother studied to be a doctor, unusual for a Jewish woman at the time. In 1936, Nazi occupation disrupted her happy childhood; her father was arrested. At nine, her mother sent her alone on the Kindertransport to England, the last time she saw her parents, who were later murdered in Terezin and Tawniki camps. Vera stayed with the Fairs family in London, forming a lifelong friendship with their daughter Betty. After school, she trained as an English teacher and spent a year on a kibbutz, where she met her husband Avram, a concentration camp survivor. They married in 1952 and returned to England. Vera became a recruiter and examiner of teachers for migrant children, placing over 100 educators to help refugees from Uganda and Kenya integrate. Her work, driven by her own experience of arriving in a foreign land, earned her an MBE.

OPEN BRITAIN B/W