From camel bones to livelihoods: how refugee youth in Dadaab, Kenya, are creating opportunity

In the refugee camps of Dadaab, where opportunities can often feel limited, Abdile refused to let a crisis define his future. 

Born and raised in the camps, Abdile spent nearly a decade working in water, sanitation and hygiene programmes with humanitarian organizations. But when the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted livelihoods across the world, he suddenly found himself without a job. 

Rather than being discouraged into inaction, Abdile and several former colleagues decided to create their own opportunities. 

“We came together instead of sitting idle,” he recalls. “We wanted to find a way to support ourselves and our community.” 

The group established the Galool Development Organization (GALDO), a refugee-led initiative named after Galool, a highly resilient native tree species found across the Horn of Africa, particularly in Somalia, where Abdile’s roots lie. 

What started as a small business producing concrete slabs for household latrines has grown into a thriving environmental enterprise that combines waste recycling, beekeeping, tree production and value addition from animal by-products. 

Building businesses from local solutions 

The group’s first venture addressed a practical need within the camps. 

Many households rely on simple pit latrines, which require durable concrete slabs for safe sanitation. Seeing a gap in the local market, the group began producing and selling slabs to both refugee and host community households. 

The initiative quickly gained traction. 

“It promotes self-reliance, but it also promotes hygiene,” says Abdile. “It helps reduce open defecation and improves conditions for families.” 

As the business grew, the group began exploring new opportunities. Beekeeping soon followed, providing organic honey to local consumers while supporting pollination and environmental conservation. 

The success of these ventures encouraged members to think even bigger. 

Giving camel bones a second life 

One of the most innovative activities emerged through support from FAO. 

Every day, dozens of camels are slaughtered in Dadaab’s markets. Once the meat is removed, the bones are simply discarded. 

“One thing that really fascinated me from FAO is that they have an eagle eye and eagle mind because they have figured out the best technical skill.” 

FAO helped Abdile and GALDO identify an opportunity where others saw refuse. The activity is part of the European Union-funded Building Refugee Settlements in Kenya project, through which FAO is promoting better nutrition and food security, and economic integration and livelihood opportunities for refugees and host communities across several food-system value chains in Dadaab. Through training provided by FAO, members of GALDO learned how to transform camel bones into decorative and practical products such as key holders, pen holders and other valued handicrafts. 

What was once considered waste now generates income. 

The products have found a growing market both inside and outside Dadaab. Hotels, local institutions, organizations, taxi drivers and community members purchase handcrafted items made from camel bones. Some members trained through the initiative now sell products through their own small businesses, while others market them through social media platforms such as WhatsApp, helping expand their customer base beyond the immediate community. 

The group has also begun showcasing its products at exhibitions and trade events. During one visit to an event in Nairobi, GALDO sold approximately KES 30 000 worth of products in a single day, demonstrating the commercial potential of transforming discarded materials into marketable goods. 

The project does more than create products. It also contributes to environmental management by reducing waste that would otherwise accumulate in the community. 

Alongside animal bones, the group collects plastic waste and other recyclable materials, linking them with recycling companies and off-takers outside Dadaab. 

Training others and creating opportunities 

The impact of the initiative extends well beyond the original group. 

Ten members initially received specialized training through FAO. Those trainees then, with support from a UNHCR grant, passed their knowledge on to another forty people, multiplying the benefits throughout the community. 

Today, the initiative supports approximately fifty households directly, creating new livelihood opportunities for both refugees and members of the host community. With each household comprising between five and ten people, the impact extends far beyond the immediate beneficiaries. 

“You know, I can categorically say that this project has reduced the poverty of almost 50 households,” says Abdile. 

The group includes young women and men from diverse backgrounds, including refugees from Somalia, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, alongside Kenyan host community members. The initiative also creates opportunities for people with disabilities. 

For Abdile, this diversity is one of the initiative’s greatest strengths. 

“We have been working together since 2021,” he says. “We have policies and systems that help us work together and promote cohesion among our members.” 

Looking beyond Dadaab 

Despite its success, the initiative still faces challenges. 

Movement restrictions affecting refugees can make it difficult to access larger markets outside Dadaab. Members have also faced logistical hurdles when transporting products to exhibitions and trade events elsewhere in Kenya. Despite these challenges, GALDO has already begun reaching customers beyond Dadaab through exhibitions and partnerships, introducing its products to new markets while building recognition for refugee-led enterprises. 

The group recently joined the Kenya Association of Waste Recyclers and hopes that stronger partnerships and market connections will help expand sales beyond the camps. 

Future plans include scaling up recycling activities, expanding training programmes and exploring additional value chains such as leather processing, allowing other animal by-products that are currently discarded to be transformed into new livelihood opportunities. 

In a place often associated with displacement and dependency, GALDO is demonstrating something different: how innovation, skills and determination can transform waste into livelihoods, strengthen community ties and build a greener future.