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On August 20th, I had the honor of attending on behalf of Refugees International an award presentation by the organization Sassoferratesi nel Mondo for the late Yvette Pierpaoli, a former advocate here at RI. Sassoferrato, a picturesque ancient town in central Italy, chooses to honor its ancestors who have distinguished themselves in their fields of work with the presentation of the Monte Strega Award. This year, Yvette Pierpaoli was the posthumous winner.

Yvette was a tireless advocate during her time at Refugees International. She was an amazing humanitarian, a brilliant businesswoman and a brave woman. She had the unique ability to speak truth to power, and inspired many with her dedicated, relentless drive to help the less fortunate - in particular those fleeing violence and abuse. Yvette’s spirit inspired the British writer John Le Carré. His book the Constant Gardener - which was turned into a Hollywood movie - was dedicated to her.

In 1999, Yvette was killed in a car accident while on a Refugees International mission in Albania. Her sudden death left a void in the Refugees International family. But fortunately, the seeds of her personality had already been planted in the organization, whose mission was close to Yvette’s heart.

As I listened to those at the ceremony speak of Yvette’s life, it occurred to me that perhaps an invisible thread had connected her life with mine, bringing me to Refugees International five years after her death. We had both met with refugees in Guatemala who had been victims of that country’s dictatorship. We had both crossed paths with internally displaced people in Burundi. And I too had driven that same road from Tirana to Skoder where Yvette lost her life.

When confronted with the many needs of refugees, Yvette shared their aspirations. She responded with urgency, mobilized resources, and succeeded in generating positive action and change. And she did it with selflessness, dedication, and integrity. Her spirit is in Refugees International’s DNA, and represents our daily quest for integrity and success on behalf of refugees.