Diyo Ayuen: “Drugs ICE almost ruin my entire life despite my dreams”

Diyo Ayeun Gai is a 23-year-old mother of a three-year-old boy. Diyo was crowned The Face of Africa during a model show, and four years ago she was crowned the winner of Miss South Sudan 2012 in Melbourne. Diyo was an aspirant looking to find her place in the modelling industry, but her life took a turn for the worse after returning home to Brisbane. Like many other migrant kids, Diyo was born in the refugee camp in Kenya and came to Australia when she was 11 years old. Despite having been exposed to the world of dreams and hard work, Diyo became challenged by the situation and immediately decided to leave her mum's house.

The two images of Diyo Ayuen in year Source: Diyo Ayuen

"I came back to Brisbane, back home to my family. My life started to go through bad tracks. I ended up moving out my family house, got my own house by the public housing".

In the middle of all this, Diyo became a mother. Having to face the challenges of being a mother and also the new life, she started taking ICE (Myth)

 

"Somehow in the middle of the track, I start to realise that my world is coming to an end. I start smoking drugs, as in weed and ICE, (Myth) especially. My life turns down to the point where I found myself in a mental health clinic, thinking I was getting help, but not knowing my life was about to get worse if I let this government people have a chance. If it wasn't for my family, I wouldn't be here today, because of the help and support they show me, it gave me hope in life"

 

To help understand the life of Diyo, we have this exclusive interview on SBS Dinka.