Lives Less Ordinary

Ramla Ali's family fled Somalia and settled in the UK; she then went from overweight bullied child to champion boxer and model who later brought the sport back to her homeland.
Ramla Ali was a baby when her older brother was killed by a stray grenade in the garden of her family home in Mogadishu, Somalia, during the civil war. To keep the rest of their family safe, her parents fled the country via a perilous boat crossing to Kenya, where Ramla almost died. They eventually got to London and Ramla grew up being bullied and becoming overweight. To help build her confidence, her mum signed her up for a gym, which is where Ramla discovered a boxercise class by chance. Soon she was boxing at every available opportunity. Ramla knew her parents wouldn’t approve, so she kept it secret, even when she won national titles and was one of the best boxers in the UK. She would go on to bring boxing back to Somalia, where the sport had been banned since 1976, and compete at the Olympic Games as Somalia's first ever boxer. Ramla recently returned from her first trip back to Somalia since she left as a baby, and was met by thousands of fans at the airport. She even received personal thanks from the president for what she achieved for the country.
Lives Less Ordinary is a podcast from the BBC World Service that brings you the most incredible true stories from around the world. Each episode a guest shares their most dramatic, moving, personal story. Listen for unbelievable twists, mysteries uncovered, and inspiring journeys - spanning the entire human experience. Step into someone else’s life and expect the unexpected.
Presenter: Jo Fidgen
Producer: Emily Naylor
 
Got a story to tell? Send an email to [email protected] or message us via WhatsApp: 0044 330 678 2784
 
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Cassandra Madison and Julia Tinetti met working at the same bar in their 20s and were struck by how similar they looked. Their adoption records didn't match, but a surprise gift later revealed the extraordinary truth.
From the moment they started chatting, Cassandra and Julia quickly realised they had lots in common: both had been adopted as babies, both grew up in Connecticut, and both had tattoos of the Dominican Republic flag. Their physical resemblance and connection was so strong that coworkers and customers joked they must be related, especially as they regularly mistook one for the other. Cassandra and Julia embraced the idea, even referring to themselves as sisters. They went so far as to compare adoption papers – but when the details didn’t match, the whole matter was put to bed. Years later, when Cassandra received a genetic test as a Christmas gift, she ended up finding her birth family. In the process, long-held secrets emerged and revelations which pointed back, unexpectedly, to Julia.
Presenter: Asya Fouks
Producer: Emily Naylor
Lives Less Ordinary is a podcast from the BBC World Service that brings you the most incredible true stories from around the world. Each episode a guest shares their most dramatic, moving, personal story. Listen for unbelievable twists, mysteries uncovered, and inspiring journeys - spanning the entire human experience. Step into someone else’s life and expect the unexpected.
 
Got a story to tell? Send an email to [email protected] or message us via WhatsApp: 0044 330 678 2784
 
You can read our privacy notice here:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/5YD3hBqmw26B8WMHt6GkQxG/lives-less-ordinary-privacy-notice

Separated from her family and trained as a child soldier, Loung Ung's unbreakable spirit helped her survive Pol Pot’s regime, which killed nearly a quarter of Cambodia’s population.
In the Chinese tradition of Loung Ung's mother, the element of fire was dangerous in a daughter: too bold, too defiant, too difficult to control. And, according to her, Loung had been born with ‘too much’ of it. But when the Khmer Rouge seized power in April 1975, that fire became key to Loung's survival. Between 1975 and 1979, up to 2 million Cambodians died through execution, famine and disease. Forced into the countryside to do hard labour, Loung's family struggled. As their world was torn apart, Loung was told by her mother to run away.
Loung would end up as a child soldier, separated from the rest of her siblings. Once the regime fell, she became the only child from the family chosen to go to the USA for a better life. But it was a dangerous journey and Loung would suffer with PTSD for years afterwards. The plan was to reunite the family within a few years, though due to financial constraints that wasn't possible. As an adult, Loung has worked on campaigns addressing violence against women, the use of child soldiers and landmine eradication worldwide and has managed to reunite with her siblings. Her story was eventually made into a film, directed by Angelina Jolie, named after Loung’s memoir of the same name: First They Killed My Father. Loung has written two other memoirs: Lucky Child and Lulu in the Sky.
Presenter: Asya Fouks
Producer: Emily Naylor
Lives Less Ordinary is a podcast from the BBC World Service that brings you the most incredible true stories from around the world. Each episode a guest shares their most dramatic, moving, personal story. Listen for unbelievable twists, mysteries uncovered, and inspiring journeys - spanning the entire human experience. Step into someone else’s life and expect the unexpected.
 
Got a story to tell? Send an email to [email protected] or message us via WhatsApp: 0044 330 678 2784
 
You can read our privacy notice here:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/5YD3hBqmw26B8WMHt6GkQxG/lives-less-ordinary-privacy-notice

When 19-year-old Ann from Florida, USA was shot by her boyfriend in 2010, her family were thrust into a nightmare, one that meant taking the agonising decision to withdraw her life support.
In this intensely moving account of violence and loss, Ann’s mother, Kate, tells Namulanta that instead of pursuing the traditional court process, she chose something almost unheard of at the time - restorative justice. Sitting face-to-face with the man who killed her daughter, she entered a process that allowed her to shape his sentence and speak openly about the impact of Ann’s death.
In her highly emotional letter to Ann for Dear Daughter, Kate reveals an extraordinary decision—one that will stay with you long after her story ends.
To find out more about Dear Daughter, to take part, or read our privacy notice, please go to www.bbcworldservice.com/deardaughter. Or you can contact the team via WhatsApp on +44 800 030 4404.

Jackie makes sporting history for Ireland and uncovers the truth about her past.
Taken from her mother as a baby and raised in an Irish institution, Jackie McCarthy O’Brien grew up in silence, facing prejudice because of the colour of her skin, and with no real sense of who she was or where she belonged.
Jackie shares her story over two episodes of Lives Less Ordinary. In this second part of her story, we hear how Jackie begins to build a life on her own terms. Through sport, she discovers a sense of purpose and belonging, pulling on the green jersey of Ireland and going on to make history as the first mixed-race woman to represent her country in both football and rugby.
But even as she achieves this, questions about her past remain. For years, she has believed one version of her story - about her mother, her father, and where she comes from. When she finally learns the truth, it’s not what she expected. Instead of anger, she finds something else: understanding, and a deep sense of love. And alongside that, she finds the confidence to live more openly, embracing who she is, and who she loves.
This programme contains a reference to suicide. If you've been affected by some of the issues that have come up in Jackie's story, and are suffering distress or despair, you could speak to a health professional, or an organisation that offers support. There are details of help available in many countries at befrienders.org
Presenter: Jo Fidgen
Producer: Edgar Maddicott
Lives Less Ordinary is a podcast from the BBC World Service that brings you the most incredible true stories from around the world. Each episode a guest shares their most dramatic, moving, personal story. Listen for unbelievable twists, mysteries uncovered, and inspiring journeys - spanning the entire human experience. Step into someone else’s life and expect the unexpected.
 
Got a story to tell? Send an email to [email protected] or message us via WhatsApp: 0044 330 678 2784
 
You can read our privacy notice here:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/5YD3hBqmw26B8WMHt6GkQxG/lives-less-ordinary-privacy-notice