Albina du Boisrouvray was born into extreme wealth as granddaughter of Bolivian tin magnate Simón Patiño, and the daughter of Count Guy du Boisrouvray.

Through a turbulent relationship with her mother and her regular prayers for her parents to divorce, she navigated a privileged but often lonely childhood.

Disconnected from her aristocratic upbringing, Albina was determined to break away. Albina searched for her tribe. She joined leftist groups rejecting her wealthy upbringing and led a successful career in journalism and film production. She made 17 films in 22 years with Albina Productions. Tragedy struck when her only child, rescue pilot François-Xavier Bagnoud, died in an accident aged just 24. But she emerged from the chrysalis of grief as a butterfly and dedicated her life to what she always felt was her calling — changing the world. Albina sold three-quarters of her assets and founded the FXB Foundation and its NGOs to combat poverty and AIDs, and to support orphans and vulnerable children. Since 1989, the FXB Foundation has improved the lives of 20 million people.

From Cannes to Calcutta, Phoenix Rising traces Albina’s unique journey from film sets and high society to refugee camps and slums, as she reinvents her privilege to found and lead one of the most innovative global anti-poverty organisations.

Divided into three books, which signify different stages of her life, Phoenix Rising is a testament to Albina’s nature: courageous and unstoppable. In this beautifully written memoir, the reader watches the phoenix rise from the ashes of grief and dedicate herself to helping millions.

‘A visceral story of loss and redemption, narrated by an indomitable woman who transformed her grief over the loss of her only child into “seeds of love” that saved other’s lives.’ David Ignatius, Columnist at the Washington Post

And here is an extract from this moving memoir:

“It’s a great privilege in life to meet exceptional people. In late 1999, I had the immense joy of spending a few hours almost one-on-one with Nelson Mandela. There were four of us at lunch: Mandela, Cyril Ramaphosa, who is now president of South Africa, Mark Lloyd, a generous friend with many connections who organized the meeting, and me. The magazine Elle, through Anne-Marie Périer, had asked me to participate in a project at the dawn of the new century: asking a group of women to be photographed with someone whom they’d always dreamed of meeting in their life.

“Nelson Mandela,” I answered right away.
“That will be tough.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it!”

“After calling this dear friend who could accomplish miracles, here we were, along with a photographer, flying to Johannesburg. I was touched and disconcerted. I thought I was dreaming, but, no, it was quite real. I sat down next to this handsome man who was so simple, so warm. There emanated from him an extraordinary goodness, along with a feeling of calm and gentle serenity. These were a few rare hours that give value to life. Full of humour, always ready to joke, one could detect no trace of the suffering he had endured for so many years. His desire to unify his people, to reconcile Blacks and Whites, was not part of any political calculation. There was nothing narcissistic about it. There was no bitterness. He sincerely forgave. Of course, we talked about AIDS. Of the particularly tragic situation regarding the disease in Africa and the countless orphans. That very afternoon, I was to go to Alexandra and Soweto to look for a local partnership that would allow FXB to set up aid programs for these children.

“I can’t come here and just take a photo with you!” I told him.

“I must see how FXB can help South African children. Come with me! Photos of you holding these HIV-positive orphans would be the most effective weapon against fear and discrimination.”

“I can’t, you have to ask Thabo Mbeki, I’m no longer president. But it’s true that it’s a huge tragedy. When I was in the government, we should have done more, but at the time we were swamped with so many problems every day…”

“Such honesty, such modesty, showed me the greatness of this man.”

Extract courtesy of Read Maxwell Communications

About Albina

Albina du Boisrouvray is the founder of FXB Global which has helped the lives of millions worldwide and her memoir is now being published by Nomad Publishing. 

She is a French-Swiss philanthropist, journalist, and former film producer. She is the granddaughter of Bolivian tin magnate Simón Patiño and the daughter of Count Guy du Boisrouvray. She initially built a successful career in journalism and film production but in 1986 her only son, François-Xavier Bagnoud, a helicopter rescue pilot, died in an accident. Albina abandoned her career to honour his memory, founding the François-Xavier Bagnoud Foundation (FXB) and its NGOs in 1989. The organisation focuses on poverty alleviation, child welfare, and sustainable development, particularly aiding AIDS orphans and putting them on the map. With a TikTok following of over 143k, Albina is a leading global philanthropist and is very much in the public eye.