Just one book can turn a displaced child’s life around and help unite the world, said the newly minted winner of the UN refugee agency’s (UNHCR) annual Nansen award on Tuesday.

Somali-born Abdullahi Mire, who sought refuge with his mother at the vast Dadaab refugee complex in northern Kenya in the 1990s, told UN News the prize money was “a milestone for us” that would benefit kids in the camp by expanding bookshelves and boosting internet connectivity.

The education advocate who founded the Refugee Youth Education Hub at Dadaab, told Thelma Mwadzaya he was dedicating the award to all the displaced children and volunteers who are determined to help turn lives around, one book at a time.