(CNN) A homecoming for any athlete who has appeared at an Olympics is special -- but for five who competed at the Rio Olympics, the place they formerly called home was the vast refugee camp at Kakuma in Kenya.

They returned to a heroes' welcome at the camp Monday, with one sign reading: "You are gold medal winners in our eyes." It followed an equally rapturous reception at Nairobi airport.

The UN refugee agency, the UNHCR, said the athletes will stay among family friends in the camp for a week before returning to their training camp in the Nairobi suburbs.

The camp holds more than 180,000 people, refugees who have fled fighting in places like South Sudan -- people like Yiech Pur Biel, a 21-year-old refugee who ran in the 800 meters at Rio. He told CNN: "We were celebrating, walking around the camp, they were dancing.

"They were appreciating us because they didn't expect this one would happen in our lives. They tell us now 'we know we can do something in our lives and we can be role models in our lives."'

Beacon of hope

Sport appears to be one of the few things that gives hope to those living in the harsh conditions of a refugee camp, something noted by the International Olympic Committee. The IOC created a £2 million training fund to help take refugee athletes to Rio -- the first to appear at an Olympic Games.

#TeamRefugees receive a heroes welcome in #Kakuma today with a big celebration to honour their achievements. pic.twitter.com/WHzoLXOQmQ — FilmAid Kenya (@filmaidkenya) August 29, 2016

The 10-strong team that competed under the Olympic flag at Rio certainly touched the hearts of many across the world.

A giant mural dedicated to the stateless refugee team -- originally from South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia and Syria -- appeared on the streets of Rio.

And who could forget the smile of 18-year-old Yusra Mardini after winning her 100-meter butterfly heat? She swam for Syria in the short-course world championships in 2012 but was forced to swim for her life while trying to flee the conflict there. Her boat capsized off the Greek coast.

'Highlight was meeting champions'

Five of her team mates grew up in Kakuma before joining a track and field project set up by former Kenyan Olympic marathon runner Tegla Loroupe.

Five members of #TeamRefugees arrive back in Kakuma camp to a huge reception by close relatives & Kakuma residents. pic.twitter.com/OxAr0E5dXR — UNHCR KENYA (@UNHCR_Kenya) August 29, 2016

Yiech Pur Biel was chosen by Loroupe's foundation, and, despite having no shoes at the camp, still managed to train to be a runner on the international stage.

The athletes were greeted at Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta airport by friends, family and a troupe of drummers from Burundi, and it's where Biel told of his joy at mixing with the world's best athletes.

"The highlight was meeting champions -- and competing with champions," he said on the U.N. refugee agency website (UNHCR)

"But we have also shown the world refugees doing something very good, so that people know refugees for who we are," he said.

Flight from war

Anjelina Nadai Lohalith, who ran in the 1,500 meters, fled South Sudan more than 15 years ago and has not seen her family since, the UNHCR reports.

But she said the Rio experience has made her realize that she can achieve any objective.

"Meeting people from around the world was the best thing about Rio for me. Now I am focused only on finding a way to see my family again," she said on the website.

Ahead of the games, 800-meter runner Rose Nathike Lokonyen told of her flight from the brutal civil war in South Sudan, first on foot and then squashed in the back of a truck. She made it out alive, grew up in Kakuma and then joined the training camp.

"Life was so much hard compared to training in this place. The life in Kakuma camp was so hard," she said.

Olympic Refugee Team athletes were treated as heroes on their return to Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya.

The UNHCR says the athletes will now return to the training camp in a town north of the Kenyan capital Nairobi and all wanted to continue competing.

In an interview with the UNHCR, Yiech Pur Biel speaks of his hopes for the future and of his love of running. "I can continue to achieve or leave a legacy, to leave a legacy for other people," he said.

Anjelina Nadai Lohalith added: "I will continue with sport and at least I have to make my future bright when I work hard because right now I am looking forward to support my family and my siblings.

Photos: Rio 2016 Olympics: Meet the first ever refugee team Every competitor at the 2016 Olympics will have undergone a personal journey to reach Rio. But for some athletes, notably a number of refugee competitors, the path has been truly life changing ... Hide Caption 1 of 15 Photos: Rio 2016 Olympics: Meet the first ever refugee team Paul Amotun Lokoro: South Sudan, 100m – Paul Amotun Lokoro fled war in his home country of South Sudan. Years later, the 24-year-old is aiming to not just compete, but thrive at the Olympic Games."I want to win a gold," he says. "If I win the race, I will be famous!" Hide Caption 2 of 15 Photos: Rio 2016 Olympics: Meet the first ever refugee team Rose Nathike Lokonyen: South Sudan, 800m – Fourteen years after leaving South Sudan for the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya, Rose Nathike Lokonyen is set to line up alongside some of the world's finest middle distance runners at Rio 2016. Hide Caption 3 of 15 Photos: Rio 2016 Olympics: Meet the first ever refugee team Yiech Pur Biel: South Sudan, 800m – Pur Biel also fled the Sudanese civil war, arriving at the Kakuma camp in 2005. The 21-year-old cites the prospect of Rio 2016 as "a great moment in my life and a story to my children and grandchildren." Hide Caption 4 of 15 Photos: Rio 2016 Olympics: Meet the first ever refugee team Rami Anis: Syria, Swimming – Six years ago, Rami Anis was swimming for Syria at the Asian Games in China. But in 2011, he fled his home of Aleppo to escape bombing. Hide Caption 5 of 15 Photos: Rio 2016 Olympics: Meet the first ever refugee team Leaving Syria, reaching Rio – His new coach in Belgium believes Anis' place in the Rio 2016 Olympic refugee team is a form of "justice".

Hide Caption 6 of 15 Photos: Rio 2016 Olympics: Meet the first ever refugee team Yusra Mardini: Swimming, Syria – Joining Rami on the team is 18-year-old Yusra Mardini, another refugee from Syria who now trains in Germany. Hide Caption 7 of 15 Photos: Rio 2016 Olympics: Meet the first ever refugee team Youngest refugee athlete – Mardini's coach, Sven Spannekrebs (pictured left here), will be one of the backroom staff joining the refugee team for Rio.

Hide Caption 8 of 15 Photos: Rio 2016 Olympics: Meet the first ever refugee team Popole Misenga: Democratic Republic of Congo, Judo – Congolese judo athlete Popole Misenga sought asylum in Brazil after the 2013 world championships in Rio. He will be on the official Olympic Refugee Team for the 2016 Games in the same city. Hide Caption 9 of 15 Photos: Rio 2016 Olympics: Meet the first ever refugee team New life in Rio – Misenga, 24, has married a Brazilian and has a young son since being granted asylum. He says Rio is a "magical place" to live. Hide Caption 10 of 15 Photos: Rio 2016 Olympics: Meet the first ever refugee team Anjelina Nadai Lohalith: South Sudan, 1500m – Anjelina Lohalith, 21, left her home country when she was just eight years old. While her family remain in South Sudan, she will now compete in Rio in the 1500m for the Refugee Olympic Team. Hide Caption 11 of 15 Photos: Rio 2016 Olympics: Meet the first ever refugee team Yonas Kinde: Ethiopia, Marathon – 36-year-old Yonas Kinde left Ethiopia for Luxembourg in 2012 and immediately pursued his love for running. He soon becoming the best long distance runner in the tiny European country. Hide Caption 12 of 15 Photos: Rio 2016 Olympics: Meet the first ever refugee team James Nyang Chiengjiek: South Sudan, 400m – Just 13-years-old when he left his home, Chiengjiek managed to avoid the fate of South Sudan's child soldiers. He reached Kenya's Kakuma camp in 2002, quickly capitalizing on his athletic talents despite a lack of top class facilities. Hide Caption 13 of 15 Photos: Rio 2016 Olympics: Meet the first ever refugee team Beyond the team – Raheleh Asemani, formerly a taekwondo athlete for Iran, was on the shortlist for the Olympic Refugee Team -- but will now compete for Belgium in Rio having been granted citizenship. Hide Caption 14 of 15 Photos: Rio 2016 Olympics: Meet the first ever refugee team Woman behind the team – For many years, Kenyan marathon runner Tegla Loroupe has been using athletics to work toward peace in Africa. Five of the Olympic Refugee Team are South Sudanese refugees from her foundation's training center, and she will be the team's chef de mission.

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The African athletes will continue to train at the Tegla Loroupe camp and, according to the UNHCR, prepare for possible participation in the World Championships in 2017.

Marco Lembo, the UNHCR external relations officer in Kenya, who is working on making the athlete program permanent, told CNN: "We believe this is just the beginning of a long process which will allow for refugee athletes to participate in the Olympics.

"They represent more than 60 million people. It's the symbolism of this that is so important. We hope to expand this program to work with more refugees and in more disciplines. We need to ensure long term sustainability."