GENEVA: A former Somali refugee, committed to providing books and education to compatriots in Kenyan camps, has been honored with the prestigious Nansen Award by the UN refugee agency on Tuesday.
Abdullahi Mire, aged 36, was recognized for championing the right to education through the distribution of 100,000 books to children in the densely populated Dadaab refugee camps in Kenya.
A book has the power to alter someone’s future,” expressed Mire in an interview with AFP. “I aspire for every displaced child to have the chance for education,” he said.
United Nations refugee chief Filippo Grandi lauded Mire as “living proof that transformative ideas can spring from within displaced communities.”
Born in Somalia, Mire spent 23 years in Dadaab, playing a crucial role in providing educational opportunities amid challenging circumstances.
