President, Women At Risk International
Champion of Service

Rebecca McDonald doesn’t consider herself to be special—just someone determined to give voice to the silenced. She’s spent four decades reaching out to the wounded and lifting them up to a place worth and dignity in over 60 countries and America.

The daughter of a surgeon and artist, McDonald grew up in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) from age five until college and attended boarding school in Pakistan, something she considered a great privilege. By age 14, they’d stayed through two wars so her father could provide medical care. One day, her Bengali playmate was raped and fought back, silenced forever with acid poured down her throat. Her friend’s suffering set McDonald on a path to give voice to the silenced, wrapping arms of love around them and helping them rewrite their stories. She founded WAR International—best known for its anti-trafficking fight—to educate, unite, and create circles of protection and hope around the wounded through culturally sensitive, value-added intervention projects in addressing 15 risk issues.

“Serving others is addictive,” McDonald says. “If you stick at it long enough, you have the luxury of hindsight to see that it truly works! I could tell you thousands of stories with happy endings! That pours steel into my backbone every time.”