Somali-born champion of refugee education wins top UN award

A former child refugee born in Somalia, who dedicated himself to changing lives through education, has been named this year’s winner of the prestigious United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Nansen Refugee Award.

Abdullahi Mire grew up in the sprawling Dadaab refugee complex in northeastern Kenya with its population today of more than 240,000 registered refugees, mostly from Somalia.

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) coordinates operations there together with partners, relying also on the support of the Kenyan Government and host communities.

The majority of the population, around 56 per cent according to 2020 figures, are children.

At that point, there were over 60,000 students enrolled up to secondary school level, but despite that, the demand for teachers, supplies and classroom space, has long outstripped supply, leading to poor educational outcomes.

Educational pioneer

Of those managing to complete secondary school only a small number have been able to carry on into tertiary education.

Abdullahi spent 23 years living in the Dadaab complex himself, from the early 1990s and eventually went on to graduate with a diploma in journalism and public relations in 2013 from Kenyatta University.

After working for the UN migration agency IOM, in Somalia, specialising in the disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration of former combatants, he realised that without being literate, many were being brainwashed and radicalized.

Life-changer

His experience led him to start the Refugee Youth Education Hub (RYEH) in 2018, focusing on refugee education and youth development.

“I want to change the lives of refugee children and youth living in Daadab”, he told the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) in 2020.

Abdullahi Mire (far right) is supporting education initiatives at the Dadaab refugee complex in northeastern Kenya. (Photo: UMSOM)

“The only way to do that is through education. If you give quality education for these children or youths, their lives will be improved for good,” he added. “For societies to progress, especially the ones recovering from decades of conflict, education must be a priority. I think it’s the midwife of peace and stability, if not more.”

Personifying change

Speaking ahead of the award announcement, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, said: “Abdullahi Mire is living proof that transformative ideas can spring from within displaced communities.

“He has shown great resourcefulness and tenacity in strengthening the quality of refugee education.”

UNHCR noted that after growing up in the Dadaab camps, Mr. Mire had resettled to Norway, “but a yearning to serve his community drew him back”.

His education hub has opened three libraries in the camps – stocked with donated books – and expanded learning opportunities for tens of thousands of displaced children and youth.

“The win is not for me alone,” said Mr. Mire, 36. “It is for all the volunteers I work with… It is for the children in the schools.”

"I am not a philanthropist, I am not a rich person... but I believe anyone can make a difference," he said.

"You don't need to be a politician or a celebrity or a tycoon to have an impact. Everyone can have a role to play to make people's lives better."

Regional winners

UNHCR has also announced regional winners who are being honoured this year. They include;

• Elizabeth Moreno Barco (Americas): A human rights defender who advocates for communities affected by armed internal conflict in Colombia

• Asia Al-Mashreqi (Middle East & North Africa): Founder and chairperson of the Sustainable Development Foundation, which has assisted nearly two million individuals in Yemen affected by conflict

• Abdullah Habib, Sahat Zia Hero, Salim Khan and Shahida Win (Asia-Pacific): Four Rohingya storytellers documenting the experiences of stateless Rohingya refugees

• Lena Grochowska and Władysław Grochowski (Europe): A Polish couple whose hotel chain and foundation provide shelter and training to refugees

The awards will be presented at a ceremony in Geneva on 13 December at the Global Refugee Forum 2023.