Yao Chen travelled to Ethiopia last week to meet with Somali refugees in the Dollo Ado and Jijiga border areas. "I felt this situation deserves particular attention. These refugees need help now, this is where the needs are the greatest," she said. "We hear about the drought, famine and suffering of people in the Horn of Africa from the news, but I wanted to see the situation with my own eyes."

This year, 2011, is the 20th anniversary of the world's biggest refugee camp – Dadaab in north-eastern Kenya. The anniversary is a reminder of the suffering of the Somali people, who have been seeking safety and shelter for two decades. UNHCR, which manages the Dadaab complex, set up the first camps there between October 1991 and June 1992. This followed a civil war in Somalia that in 1991 had culminated in the fall of Mogadishu and overthrow of the Siad Barre regime.

The original intention was for the three Dadaab camps to host up to 90,000 people. However today they host more than 463,000 people, including some 10,000 third-generation refugees born in Dadaab to parents who were also born there.

Last year’s famine in Somalia saw more than 150,000 new arrivals, a third of the camp’s current population. Overcrowding and stretched resources as well as security concerns have all had an impact on the camp, but UNHCR continues to provide life-saving assistance.