Microsoft Corp. today announced that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is one of 104 nonprofit organizations to receive support as part of the company’s third round of Unlimited Potential (UP) grants. UNHCR intends to establish three community technology learning centers (CTLCs) in its Dadaab Camp in Kenya, where more than 130,000 refugees have been living for more than 12 years. These centers will provide basic computing courses that can help camp residents pursue continuing education and contribute more fully to their communities and home countries.

Earlier this year, Microsoft, UNHCR and the Red Cross collaborated to open the first CTLC for refugees in St. Petersburg, Russia. The CTLC serves the needs of displaced individuals from Afghanistan and Africa, as well as of local people with disabilities.

"CTLCs provide us a modern, practical solution for meeting the needs of refugees and offering them new educational opportunities," said Pierre Bernard Le Bas, head of private sector and public affairs service of UNHCR. "Refugees have limited access to schools and other educational resources. For many of them, CTLCs offer them another avenue to gain the skills and knowledge they need to make their way in life."