Yang Yang was inspired by the strength of single mother Dahabo. During one afternoon, Dahabo shared her experience of fleeing war in Somalia. ©UNHCR
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 awareness of the situation facing refugees and displaced people around the world.
Located in the north-western region of Kenya, Kakuma Refugee Camp and the Kalobeyei Integrated Settlement are now home to more than 270,000 refugees and asylum-seekers, many of whomhave been living in Kenya for over three decades.
In the settlement, Yang Yang met Somali refugee and mother-of-six, Dahabo, who fled Somalia ten years ago with her family after she nearly lost her life in a bomb explosion. She sustained life-changing injuries which left her without use of her limbs. She now relies on a makeshift wheelchair for mobility and still lives with the pain of her injuries.
“Life was very hard in Somalia. I knew that if we wanted to survive, we would have to leave,” she told Yang. After finding safety in Kakuma, the education of Dahabo’s children became a priority. All four attend schools in the camp and now, her eldest son is attending an academy to develop his skills further with vocational training.
“It was a privilege for me to hear Dahabo’s story. She is an inspirational woman and mother. Despite everything she’s been through, she has built a life for her family here in Kakuma refugee camp and ensured all her children attend school and have a safer future,” said Yang Yang.
At the Kalobeyei sports complex, Yang strode onto the football pitch to kick off a match between two women’s football teams.
Yang Yang meets the players at the beginning of a football match between two professional women’s refugee teams at the Kalobeyei Sports Complex. ©UNHCR
Yang Yang was appointed UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador in 2023 and her first official visit was to Kakuma Refugee Camp in February 2024, where she met with refugees like Dahabo and her son, Abdisalan. ©UNHCR
Chess has the power to inspire young students at the Angelina Jolie Boarding School in Kakuma Refugee Camp. Yang Yang joins a game with some students ©UNHCR
In her role as UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador, Yang Yang is using her experiences to draw attention to refugees and issues of forced displacement, particularly in China. Yang has seen an increased number of young Chinese people interested in UNHCR’s work and is keen to connect sports organizations and the private sector with refugees to develop further opportunities for refugees in sports.
Sitting at the airport in Kakuma, Yang reflected on her trip. “I met some incredible people and they have inspired me. The situation here in Kakuma is challenging to say the least. But we must do more to raise their voices and I’m ready to use mine.”
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