IT has been a refugee camp for almost 30 years, home to hundreds of thousands of men, women and children.

And now the Kukama camp in Kenya is to become the first in the world to have its own paediatric operating room thanks to the efforts of a Scottish charity.

Edinburgh-based Kids Operating Room (KidsOR) was founded by Garreth Wood and his wife Nicol, and has already installed 25 paediatric operating rooms in 11 countries across Africa and South America.

With equipment shipped from their warehouse in Dundee, more than 16,000 operations have been carried out on children which the global health charity say has prevented 250,000 years of disability.

They will now extend their work to the Kakuma camp, which opened in 1992 and has a population of around 190,000 refugees - many of them women and children - representing 22 nationalities.

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Mr Wood, said providing such care was something he and his wife believe is "a basic human right".

He said: "The World Health Organisation figures now say two billion children around the world cannot access the essential surgical care they need.

"Nicola and I are parents, our own children are very lucky because they were born in the UK and have required surgical intervention, so we know of the pain and anguish on not just the child but the parents, families and communities.

READ MORE: Son of Aberdeen-based oil billionaire plans to give £1m a year profits to charity

"We're both incredibly proud we've been able to facilitate this opportunity ... we're surprising ourselves with what we've achieved in the last two years, but actually we're working very hard to make it happen.

"Where Nicola and I get most joy is from being in the operating room, watching that first child have surgery after we've spent hundreds of thousands of pounds, but also time on the ground working and developing relationships, and we get to witness that joy.

"As much as it's exciting to be in Davos I wouldn't trade that for one day being in an operating room watching a child's life be transformed."

The Herald:

Nicola Wood meets members of staff at a KidsOR operating room with in Quito, Ecuador

The announcement was made on Wednesday morning during the annual meeting where US president Donald Trump and climate activist Greta Thunberg are among the main speakers.

Of the charity's current 25 operating rooms, 18 are situated in sub-Saharan Africa but all are in "stable settings" compared to the plans for Kakuma.

The Kumala camp was opened to refugees fleeing the war in Sudan, and has grown to resemble a small town.

Mr Wood, who is the son of oil billionaire Sir Ian Wood, added: "Our core business up until this point has been looking at opportunities within hospitals across low and middle income countries and this opportunity has come to us at Davos.

"Displaced children are just as worthy of essential healthcare as anyone else so it's an opportunity we see to help thousands of children and to provide essential care that they need."

READ MORE: Rally couple to raise funds for ill children​

Neema Kaseje, a paediatric surgeon and public health specialist originally from Kenya, is part of the KidsOR advisory board.

She said: "Africa is a focus because Africa hosts more than 26 per cent of the world's refugee population.

"Usually in these settings you would find there isn't any equipment for children or infrastructure that is adapted to children, therefore providing surgical services for children in these settings is very difficult.

"This is actually quite new and it's great KidsOR has taken the lead in this area and this could actually serve as a model for other humanitarian contexts beyond Africa."