Kakuma is the country's second-largest camp of its kind, hosting about 288,000 refugees from nine countries, including South Sudan, Ethiopia, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Nakang engaged in various sporting activities to pass the time while she was at the camp, located in an arid zone characterized by extremely high temperatures and low rainfall.

"I really enjoyed playing football in the open fields, and I would see my colleagues running, and I thought they were just chasing the winds," Nakang said.

Eventually, one of her friends convinced her to start competing in the races organized in the camp, and she began to score a series of victories.

However, her turning point occurred when Janet Jepkosgei, who won a silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics for the 800 meters event, spotted her during an athletic competition in 2022.