Deborah Ferguson

“I spent my childhood in Nassau, where living conditions were not as good as they are nowadays. We should not only treasure what we have now. We should also help others obtain what they should have."

Debbie Ferguson, a renowned sprinter, has won several World Cup gold medals and has been voted "outstanding female athlete" of the Commonwealth Games. Born in Nassau, she has dedicated years of her life to improving the health, education and quality of life for people in her country, especially for underprivileged women and children. Her charity work includes raising funds for orphanages and Homes for the Aged in Nassau, visiting children at local hospitals and supporting feeding programmes for the elderly.

Since her appointment, on 16 October 2002, Debbie Ferguson has recorded numerous messages of support for FAO's activities and has given several interviews to the international media, speaking extensively about her new role as an FAO Goodwill Ambassador and advocate.

In June 2004, Debbie has carried out an official visit to Bahamas to witness first-hand the work that FAO is carrying out in the country.

Thanks to Debbie’s support, in 2005 the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF), organizers of the Olympic Games, produced their yearly desk calendar featuring photographs of athletics champions performing during the Olympic Games bearing the slogan “For a world without hunger” and the FAO and IAAF logos.  In addition the back of each page featured a picture of Debbie promoting the same message through her statement “Do you find it shocking that millions of people go hungry every day? You’re not the only one”.  The calendar, distributed world-wide, aimed at stimulating awareness and understanding of  FAO’s activities taking advantage of the large athletics audience.