Yahya
Daraa, Syria
Displaced: Three years
Yahya lives in the Palestinian Shatila Refugee Camp in Beirut, Lebanon with his four siblings and his parents.
Although Syrian for two generations, Yahya’s grandparents were originally Palestinian, so the family chose to live in Shatila for safety.
For fun, Yahya walks to the Mediterranean Sea, or hangs out in the street with his friends.
He tried helping his father sell household glass items but the business didn’t succeed, and now, Yahya has no job.
When he thinks about Syria, Yahya worries most about his whether his friends are still there.
Yahya hasn’t been able to go to school for the past Three years and doesn’t know what he wants to be when he grows up; he’s just concerned about life right now.
Yahya is sixteen years old.
Interviewed June 2014
Makmood
Daraa, Syria
Displaced: Three years
Makmood lives in the Palestinian Shatila Refugee Camp in Beirut, Lebanon with his four siblings and his parents.
His grandparents are ethnically Palestinian, so they chose to settle the family temporarily in Shatila for safety.
The last time he was in school, Makmood was in the third grade.
He doesn’t know how to read or write.
He wants to be “anything [he] can be” when he grows up.
Makmood says he just wants a job, and that while he looks all the time, he hasn’t been able to find anything.
Whether Makmood’s family eats every day depends on their ability to find work.
He says they have food sometimes, but sometimes they just drink tea.
Makmood enjoys playing football in the street with his friends, or watching Indian movies.
Makmood doesn’t have a favorite film because he doesn’t understand the language, but he thinks Indian films are beautiful.
He misses Syria, and thinks it is better than Lebanon.
The first thing Makmood thinks about, when he thinks of Syria, is how to get back.
His mother says, “He couldn’t grow up as a normal child so he grew his hair.”
Makmood is fourteen years old.
Interviewed June 2014
Lisa and Nur with their younger sister and brother inside their apartment in the Shatila Refugee Camp in Beirut, Lebanon.
June 2014
Nur
Damascus, Syria
Displaced: One month
Nur lives in Shatila Refugee Camp in Beirut, Lebanon.
Her family was forced to leave Damascus when their house was leveled by heavy-weapon fire.
Nur now shares a one ground-level room in the Camp with her family of six, and four other people.
The above-ground sewage run-off just outside the door to her family’s room fills the place with the smell of human waste.
Nur loves math and drawing, but she hasn’t gone to school since the day mortars hit her house in Syria.
Since the mortar attack, Nur has had a hard time concentrating, and she has nightmares all the time.
Her favorite color is yellow, she loves bananas, and her favorite animal is a giraffe.
Nur says she likes Lebanon because she has a place to stay.
Nur is nine years old.
Interviewed June 2014
Lisa
Damascus, Syria
Displaced: One month
Lisa lives in Shatila Refugee Camp in Beirut, Lebanon.
Her family was forced to leave Damascus because they were in the middle of intense fighting, and their house was completely destroyed.
Lisa now shares a single, ground-level room in the Camp with her family of six, and four other people.
The room is filthy, and raw sewage and water run outside the door, causing the entire room to smell like human excrement.
Lisa hasn’t been able to go to school for the past year, but her favorite subject was math because she loved solving problems.
When she grows up, Lisa hopes to be a doctor because she loves helping people.
Her favorite color is blue.
Fruit is her favorite food.
She loves giraffes and dolphins because she says they are beautiful animals.
Lisa says she likes Lebanon because they have a home, even though all she was able to bring with her from Syria were her clothes.
For fun, Lisa plays with her sister and brother, and she likes helping her mother by taking care of her 10-month-old sister.
Lisa is ten years old.
Interviewed June 2014
Nour
Damascus, Syria
Displaced: One-and-a-half years
Nour shares a small apartment with her family and twelve people in the Palestinian refugee camp Bourj el-Barajneh in Beirut, Lebanon.
Her family was denied entry to Iraq and Jordan, and couldn’t make the long trip to Turkey, so they decided to settle in Lebanon.
Rent and food are so expensive that Hiba’s father says they’re barely able to survive.
Nour’s favorite class is Arabic, and she hopes to be a nurse when she grows up so she can assist people.
She likes drawing and playing games with her friends, and Nour says she likes Lebanon.
Her favorite color is dark pink, cats are her favorite animal, and she likes eating rice and beans.
When she thinks about Syria, Nour thinks about her grandfather’s house and wishes she had a doll she wasn’t able to bring out of Syria with her.
Nour is eleven years old.
Interviewed June 2014
Muhammed
Damascus, Syria
Displaced: One-and-a-half years
Muhammed lives in the Bourj el-Barajneh Palestinian Refugee Camp in Beirut, Lebanon.
He is too young for the local school, but likes studying Arabic.
Muhammed says he likes life in Lebanon, and enjoys playing football with his friends.
His favorite color is black, bees are his favorite animal, and his favorite food is honey.
His family shares a small apartment with twelve people, and Muhammed is one of three children in his family.
Muhammed’s family left Syria because of the war, and chose to relocate in Lebanon because Turkey was too far away, Iraq rejected them, and they weren’t allowed into Jordan.
His father says they are barely able to live because rent and food are so expensive.
Muhammed is five years old.
Interviewed June 2014
Hiba
Damascus, Syria
Displaced: One-and-a-half years
Hiba lives in the Palestinian refugee camp Bourj el-Barajneh in Beirut, Lebanon.
Her family shares a small apartment with twelve people and Hiba is one of three children in his family.
Her family was denied entry to Iraq and Jordan, and couldn’t make the long trip to Turkey, so they decided to settle in Lebanon.
Rent and food are so expensive that Hiba’s father says they’re barely able to survive.
Hiba likes studying English and hopes to be an English teacher when she grows up.
She says she likes school because she learns things and they teach her well.
Her favorite thing to do is play a game with her brother called “high-low”.
Her favorite color is red and her favorite animals are squirrels.
Hiba says she asks God to send them back to Syria, and thinks about her cousins and grandparents that are still there.
She wishes she had a doll that her father bought her. She had to leave it behind when fleeing Syria.
Hiba is nine years old.
Interviewed June 2014
Sahar
Homs, Syria
Displaced: One year
Sahar lives in Lebanon’s Beqaa Valley with her family of seven.
The small shack the family shares rests on a concrete slab and is only a few square meters.
She started the some classes in Lebanon, but not at an official school.
She likes science classes because they talk about animals
Sahar loves horses.
When she grows up Sahar wants to be a doctor so she can help treat people in the camps.
When Sahar has free time she likes playing jump rope with her friends.
Her family says they have trouble earning enough money for food and that the local land owner steals the aid provided by an international charity.
They fled from Syria because of heavy bombing and shelling that killed Sahar’s cousin and aunt and destroyed their house.
When she thinks about Syria she remembers the tree in her family’s garden and the fruit that used to grow on them.
Sahar is nine years old.
Interviewed June 2014
Ahmed
Homs, Syria
Displaced: One year
Ahmed lives in Lebanon’s Beqaa Valley with his family of seven.
The small shack Ahmed shares with his family has a concrete floor and a toilet next to a small kitchen.
He started the first grade in Syria but wasn’t able to complete it because of the war and hasn’t been able to go to school since.
When he grows up he wants to be a truck driver just like his father.
He likes the color blue, horses, and his favorite foodis rotisserie chicken.
Ahmed’s family says that the local land owner steals the food and aid provided by an international charity organization and leaves them with nothing.
Heavy bombing and shelling killed Ahmed’s cousin and aunt and destroyed their house. He misses his bike and his neighborhood.
Ahmed thinks life in Syria was better, because he says he feels like a slave in Lebanon.
Ahmed is ten years old.
Interviewed June 2014
Omar
Homs, Syria
Displaced: One year
Omar lives in Lebanon’s Beqaa Valley with his family of seven.
The small shack they sleep in has a concrete floor and a toilet right beside the kitchen station.
He was in the 4th grade three years ago, but hasn’t been to school since.
He loved learning now to read Arabic and English, and misses his classes and friends.
When he grows up he wants to be an engineer so he can create buildings.
He likes the color white, and pigeons.
Omar says his family usually can afford to eat two meals a day but sometimes there is not enough food for everyone.
An international charity organization provides food to the camp but Omar’s family says that the local land owner steals the food and charges the residents for the food and aid.
They fled from Syria because of heavy bombing and shelling that killed Omar’s cousin and aunt and destroyed their house.
He misses his home, neighborhood, and his best friend whom Omar considers like a brother.
Omar is twelve years old.
Interviewed June 2014
Qamar
Homs, Syria
Displaced: One year
Qamar lives in a small tent in a makeshift refugee camps with her family of seven in Lebanon’s Beqaa Valley.
When she grows up she wants to be a doctor so she can treat people who are sick and injured.
Qamar likes jumping rope and watching Tom and Jerry when she has free time.
She likes the color red, horses are her favorite animal, and her favorite food is roasted chicken.
Her father is unable to feed their family, and claims the aid being distributed to their makeshift camp is being stolen by the landowners.
Before they left Syria, there was heavy shelling in their neighborhood and Qamar’s aunt and cousin were killed.
Qamar says that when she thinks about Syria she misses the garden that was at her house in Homs. That house is destroyed.
Qamar is five years old.
Interviewed June 2014
Da’aa
Homs, Syria
Displaced: One year
Da’aa lives in Lebanon’s Beqaa Valley with her older sister and parents.
She’s currently in the 5th grade and like studying science because it’s varied and she learns what foods to eat to stay healthy.
When she grows up, Da’aa hopes to be a pharmacist.
Her favorite color is light pink, her favorite food is macaroni, and she loves rabbits.
She spends most of her free time reading books and studying computers.
Da’aa and her family decided to seek refuge in Lebanon after initially fleeing Homs for Damascus for two months after their house was destroy.
“I miss my relatives [in Syria] and really want to see them.”
Da’aa is ten years old.
Interviewed June 2014
Shefaa
Homs, Syria
Displaced: One year
Shefaa lives in Lebanon’s Beqaa Valley with her sister and parents.
She’s currently in the 6th grade and like studying Arabic.
When she grows up, she hopes to be a doctor because she’d love the ability to heal people.
Her favorite color is red, her favorite food is fish, and she loves cats.
She spends most of her free time playing with her ten-year-old sister Da’aa, and studying.
She likes Lebanon because she says the weather is better and the atmosphere is completely different.
Shefaa and her family fled to Damascus from Homs after their house was destroyed, and stayed in Homs for two months until eventually deciding to seek refuge in Lebanon.
She misses her relatives still in Syria, and hopes to one day go back home.
Shefaa is twelve years old.
Interviewed June 2014
Roquiya
Homs, Syria
Displaced: One year
Roquiya lives in a small shelter at a makeshift refugee camps with her family of six, in Lebanon’s Beqaa Valley.
She hasn’t see her father since she fled Syria.
During the day Roquiya’s mother works in the local fields to earn money to feed the family.
Despite the lack of a proper school in the camp, Roquiya says she likes to study Arabic when she can.
When she grows up, Roquiya wants to be a teacher, so she can show children all the things they don’t know.
Her favorite color is red, she likes rabbits, and likes to eat anything except rice.
When Roquiya has free time, she likes to play catch outside with other kids in the camp.
Roquiya is eight years old.
Interviewed June 2014
Fatima
Homs, Syria
Displaced: One year
Fatima lives in Lebanon’s Beqaa Valley with her mother and younger brothers and sisters.
Fatima says she stays at home all day to watch her younger siblings while her mother works in the nearby fields. She is unable to go to school.
They live in a small one room shack with a concrete floor.
She hopes she can be a doctor when she grows up, so she can take care of children and the sick.
Fatima says she likes Lebanon better than Syria because there are no bombings, but she misses her home.
She hasn’t seen her father since they left, and her mother told her that he is lost. Fatima wants to go back and find him.
Fatima has a bad infection in her mouth, but because of the lack of medical care in the camp, and the high cost of hospital care in Lebanon, she has not received any treatment.
Fatima is twelve years old.
Interviewed June 2014
Yamin
Homs, Syria
Displaced: One year
Yamin lives in Lebanon’s Beqaa Valley with his family of six.
His father is still in Syria and he hasn’t seen him since they fled.
His mother has to work in the fields surrounding their camp to feed Yamin and his sisters and brothers.
Although there isn’t a proper school in the camp, Yamin likes to study Arabic when he can.
When he grows up he hopes to be a professional football player.
His favorite color is blue, his favorite animal, horses, and when asked what his favorite food is, Yamin says “anything is a blessing from God”.
He remembers life in Syria fondly because he had friends and school.
A bomb destroyed Yamin’s house in Homs. He lost two fingers from the attack.
He and his family fled to Lebanon shortly after.
Yamin is ten years old.
Interviewed June 2014
Baylasne
Damascus, Syria
Displaced: One-and-a-half years
Baylasne lives in a small two room shelter at a makeshift refugee camp with her family in Lebanon’s Beqaa Valley.
She’s in the third grade and likes to study Arabic.
She loves to draw whenever she can find basic supplies like pens, pencils, and paper.
Baylasne is in a camp choir designed to give the children something constructive to do, and she likes singing with the other children.
For fun, she plays hide and seek with her friends and siblings.
Her favorite color is red, she likes hamburgers, and lions are her favorite animal.
Baylasne says she eats twice a day most of the time, but because of how they are living she doesn’t always have an appetite to eat.
Her mother said before they left Syria, they were hiding from bombings in a cramped, underground shelter with other families, and some dead bodies, for six days. When the bombing finally subsided, they ran and hid in fields, and survived by eating dry biscuits they had saved.
Baylasne’s mother remembers that her daughters would cry because they left behind everything they had, including their toy dolls.
They came to Lebanon because it was the easiest country to get to from Damascus, but in the camp they have next to nothing.
If Baylasne had the chance to say something to everyone in the world, she would say, “May God protect you.”
Baylasne is nine years old.
Interviewed June 2014
Chem
Damascus, Syria
Displaced: One-and-a-half years
Chem lives in a small two room shelter at a makeshift refugee camps with her family in Lebanon’s Beqaa Valley.
She’s in the first grade and likes to practice writing Arabic.
For fun, Chem plays on the camp’s merry-go-round with her friends.
When she grows up, Chem wants to be a dentists so she can help repair people’s teeth.
Her favorite color is pink, she likes pizza, and her favorite animals are dogs.
When she thinks about Syria, Chem remembers playing with her friends in their neighborhood.
Just before Chem and her family left Syria, they had to hide from bombing in a cramped underground shelter with other families and dead bodies for six days. After the bombing finally stopped, they ran and hid in fields and Chem’s mom says the only survived by eating dry biscuits they had saved.
Chem used to cry because she had to leave everything she had behind in their home including her toy doll.
They came to Lebanon because it was the easiest country to get to from Damascus but in the camp they have next to nothing.
Her mother is worried about her because she’s grown increasingly violent towards her siblings. Her mother thinks the bombings, the hiding, and their relocation are likely the cause.
Chem is seven years old.
Interviewed June 2014