A GROUP of young activists have raised a total of $60,000 (BD22,680) for Somali drought victims and refugees.

The collected money was used to build a medical centre in Dadaab camps in Kenya, which is home to nearly 400,000 refugees - mostly from neighbouring Somalia.

The facility has been up and running since December last year, confirmed humanitarian activist Mohammed Ali, who was among a group of young Bahrainis spearheading the campaign.

Around 10 Bahraini doctors spent between two weeks to one month in the Bahraini-funded facility. They treated nearly 500 patients a day at the camps, which is known as the largest refugee camp in the world.

"We started working with IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation and started the Bahrain clinic," said Bahraini doctor Eman Murad, who was among the team of volunteers. "Medically, we saw cases you would never be exposed to here - things we read only in books or see on television.

"Spiritually it was very close to my heart.

"Going through the experience and seeing the faces of children...it makes you happy to just be able to help."

The clinic has now been taken over by local medical professionals.

The raised money was also used to build a mosque and nine different institutions for the teaching of Quran, reading and writing.

"Each institution holds about 30 students," added Mr Ali.