For as long as she can remember, Ms Yalda Hakim has wanted to be a journalist.

"I was six years old when I saw my first news and current affairs programme and I wanted to do whatever it was they were doing on TV," says the 30-year-old Australian, who has been with BBC World News since last year. She hosts Our World, a current affairs programme on the channel.

Ms Hakim was in town to visit the BBC office in Singapore early last month.

She adds: "Issues of social justice and international politics were always discussed in my family and my family's personal journey also contributed to it."

When she was just six months old, her parents smuggled the family out of Kabul, Afghanistan, on horseback into Pakistan to escape the war between the Soviet Union and the Afghan mujahideen resistance. Several years later, they emigrated to Australia.

She did not return to Afghanistan until 2008 when the Australian TV station she was working at, Special Broadcasting Service, wanted to do a programme on her journey back to her native country.

"My connections with the country were based on what my parents had told me. I grew up romanticising the country in my head, that the people were these great warriors who fought for the freedom of their country. To go there and find people who were very war-weary was very confronting," says Ms Hakim.

She has a personal interest in social injustice.

"I like to tell untold stories that need to be heard. A voice needs to be given to so many voiceless victims out there," says Ms Hakim, who won the United Nations Media Peace Prize for Best Australian Television News coverage in 2009.

Of all the hard-hitting stories that she has done, including coverage of the massacre of Afghan civilians last year and the clothing factory collapse in Bangladesh in May, she was most affected by a story she did on female infanticide in India.

"I met this woman who killed three of her children because they were girls. She described her inner turmoil and distress from dropping a newborn down a well. Her pain touched me and I felt this agony," says Ms Hakim, who is married with no children.

She has travelled to many countries around the world, such as Iran, Yemen, Libya and Sudan, for work.

And, she says, she loves visiting their local hair salons." You may see women completely covered in burkas but, at the salon, they take them off and it's extraordinary what you'll find underneath. There's so much creativity and effort in their hair and make-up," says Ms Hakim, who adds that she grew up poring over fashion magazines such as Vogue.

She is also a huge fan of Australian fashion designers, although she declined to name specific ones.

As she has to put on a lot of make-up for the camera, she tries to get a facial once every six weeks.

"On camera, I have a big say in what I wear and I make sure I look presentable," she says.

7 things in her bag

1) Dry shampoo

When I travel, I may not always have access to showers, so it's good to have some dry shampoo. I've gone for days without a shower when I was out in the desert in Yemen.

2) Honey

When my voice gets hoarse from filming, honey and water really help to soothe my throat.

3) Make-up

I carry make-up for touch-ups before I go on camera. I take pride in the way I look even when I'm in a remote place.

4) Almonds

Sometimes, I work 18-hour days and I don't get a chance to stop and have a proper meal. I always carry some nuts and a bottle of water to keep me going.

5) Money bag

On any given trip, I may visit three or four different countries, so I keep a money bag with me that holds all the different currencies I need.

6) Notebooks

These are for writing down names and ages of the people I interview to make sure all the information is correct.

7) Scarf

I travel to a lot of Islamic countries so I make sure I dress like a local as much as I can. People appreciate that you respect their culture. Also, you don't want to stand out unnecessarily in some of these places.

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