Nansen Refugee Award Global Laureate
My Story
My name is Abdullahi Mire — a journalist, refugee rights advocate, and founder of the Refugee Youth Education Hub (RYEH). I am also the proud recipient of the 2023 UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award, an honor that reflects the incredible resilience of refugee communities rather than my work alone.
I was born in Somalia but raised in the Dadaab refugee camps in Kenya. I grew up surrounded by stories — not the ones in books, but those etched into the lives of people around me: stories of survival, hope, and interrupted dreams. As a child, education was both my escape and my fuel. But even that came with enormous struggle.
Years later, as a trained journalist working with Al Jazeera, I returned to the very camp that raised me. I wasn’t expecting the encounter that would change everything. A student named Hodan approached me. She asked for a biology textbook, because 15 students in her class were sharing just one copy. Her quiet determination shook me deeply.
That request — simple but profound — became the seed for a larger mission.
I went back to Nairobi and started collecting books. In one year, we gathered 20,000. That turned into libraries. That turned into digital skills workshops, radio programming, and grassroots advocacy — all powered by refugee youth, for refugee youth.
Today, I continue to build bridges through education. I run RYEH with a zero-budget model, supported by volunteers, diaspora networks, and kind strangers. My work is not about charity — it's about equity, dignity, and reclaiming agency.
Hodan's Story — The Spark That Lit the Movement
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In 2017, I walked into Hagadera Secondary School in Dadaab — where I once sat as a student — and met Hodan Bashir, a bright, determined 17-year-old. She walked up to me after I finished interviewing her class and said, “Can you help me get a biology book?”
Fifteen students in her class were sharing one copy. She dreamed of becoming a doctor, but the resources simply didn’t exist.
Her voice — calm, respectful, but so determined — stayed with me. That night, I couldn’t sleep. I started calling friends, messaging colleagues, posting online. Within weeks, books began to arrive. Within months, we had a full community library — and then another. Hodan’s courage had sparked a movement.
Today, Hodan is training as a nurse at Hagadera Hospital, still chasing her dream. Her story is not just one of hope — it’s proof that refugee youth don’t need saving; they need opportunity.
Her question was the ignition behind RYEH. Her face is still the one I see every time a new library opens or a new shipment of books arrives.
Who I Help
I work to uplift refugee youth, displaced learners, and marginalized communities—especially those living in Kenya’s Dadaab refugee camps. These are young people with dreams just as big as anyone else's, but with limited access to the tools and opportunities to make them real. I also support educators, women, and grassroots leaders who are on the frontlines of change in refugee settings.
-“I believe talent is universal—but opportunity is not. That’s what I aim to change.”
How I Do It
My approach is simple, community-led, and impact-focused:
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Books & Libraries: I collect and distribute books to build learning spaces in camps.
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Digital Literacy: I run trainings in tech, storytelling, and online skills to empower youth.
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Media & Advocacy: I amplify refugee voices through journalism, public speaking, and community radio.
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Volunteer & Partnership Networks: I mobilize people around the world to take action through collaboration and donations.