‘Being a humanitarian is all I know how to do.’
Name: Carmeline Wanjiru. Born in Nairobi, Kenya Job title: External Relations Officer, based in Nairobi. Years at UNHCR: 24 years. Joined UNHCR in 2000 as a community services assistant and went to Somalia in 2017 for two months. Why did you become a...
Young refugee athlete defies odds to compete in Paris Olympic
Perina is one of the youngest athletes and the only athlete based in Africa on the 37-strong IOC Refugee Olympic Team competing in Paris. Laughter and giggles reverberated through the chilly air at Eldoret Sports Club in Kenya’s Rift Valley region as Perina Nakang and...
Kimbo’s Final Drive: Celebrating 32 Years behind the wheel with UNHCR.
Ahmed Abdinoor, lovingly known as ‘Kimbo,’ reminisced about his first day on the job with a warm smile. “They asked if I could drive, and I replied, ‘This truck or an aircraft?’ And just like that, they handed me the keys!” His laughter...
Maternity ward provides life-line for refugee mothers in Kenya
Funded by the European Union, the maternity wing of Natukobenyo Health Center in the Kalobeyei Settlement is ensuring hundreds of expectant mothers deliver safely. The soft coos and gentle cries of newborn babies emanate from the maternity wing of Natukobenyo Health...
Q & A on flooding with William Ejalu, Head of Sub-Office, Dadaab
In March and April this year, Kenya has been battered by stronger-than-usual rains and heavy flooding, caused by the El Niño weather system. For refugees in the Dadaab refugee camp, this has brought misery and upheaval. William Ejalu is the Head of Sub-Office in...
Congolese refugee turns plastic waste into a profitable business
Raphael Basemi has come a long way since arriving in Kenya’s Kakuma camp in 2009 with just a bag of clothes and his education certificates. The Congolese refugee now runs the largest community-led recycling enterprise in the camp, providing hundreds of jobs for other...
Education fund rekindles hopes and dreams of refugees
Nyehoth Pub Tang smiles brightly as she walks into her classroom in Dadaab’s Integrated settlement. The 12-year-old South Sudanese student is eager to share her just-finished drawing with her classmates. “I love drawing and making crafts,” she says with a...
Football keeps young refugees’ dreams alive in Kenya’s Kakuma camp
As the sun sinks towards the horizon, casting long shadows across the dusty football pitch in Kakuma refugee camp in north-western Kenya, one player – Abdirahman Sheuna – stands out not just for his skillful feints and turns with the ball but because most of the other...
UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Yang Yang visits refugees in Kakuma
Nairobi, 6 March 2024 – Former speed-skater and Chinese Olympic athlete Yang Yang spent three days in Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kenya. This was Yang’s first official visit as a Goodwill Ambassador for UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, a role she sees as crucial to raising...