Fleeing Bullets, and then Mosquitoes
Agness and Flavia are close in age: between 18 and 24 months. Although they come from different families, they share a similar story. Their parents fled conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo several years ago and are now raising their children in Uganda’s...
Syrian refugees transform used tents into vibrant works of art
LONDON, United Kingdom, April 16 (UNHCR) – Ever since she was in kindergarten in the western Syria city of Homs, Ibtihaj has dreamed of becoming an artist. She aspired to one day open her own gallery and showcase her work to the world. Now aged 12 years, Ibtihaj lives...
A new start in Sweden
It has been just over a year since Mahmoud and his family were resettled in the small town of Torsby in central Sweden. Coming here was a dream come true for this young Syrian boy who, like so many of his generation, suffered the traumas of war only to discover...
A Long and Perilous Route to Safety
The sun is still rising in the Congolese sky, but Jean is already busy cleaning the small garden in front of his new house in Bili refugee camp. He greets me with a wide smile. After nearly two years on the run from violence in the Central African Republic (CAR), he...
A Sister’s Courage
Most of all, Hala misses her mother’s bedtime stories. “I was playing outside when our house crumbled,” she says. “I saw people carrying my mom downstairs.” Is Hala smiling, or about to cry? I’m not sure. I’ve finally gathered the courage to ask her what happened....
Student excels at Angelina Jolie Pitt-funded girls school in Kenya camp
KAKUMA REFUGEE CAMP, Kenya, March 27 (UNHCR) – Naomi Chol studied at a school funded and supported by Oscar-winning actress Angelina Jolie Pitt, but the 16-year-old from South Sudan has become a celebrity herself in a Kenyan refugee camp. “Everywhere I go,...
The Boy Who Was Buried Alive and Survived
Thirty-three-year-old Sarratou will never forget the day when dozens of heavily armed men ambushed her village in Nigeria’s Borno State. It was 10 o’clock in the morning and she was at home with three of her four children. The gunshots rang in their ears as they...
The Inventors of Azraq
The barren, rock-strewn expanse of Jordan’s northern desert looks like it could be the backdrop for a science fiction movie. The only comfort this featureless, Martian landscape offers to the more than 15,000 Syrians who now call this place home is an escape from the...