This photograph was taken on a rainy day – in
fact when I left Beirut the rain was torrential, it seemed madness to set off
to photograph a refugee camp on a day like this. But it was the best day to capture what life
is really like for these people. The day
before had been sunny, not only would the light have been harsh, everyone and
the whole situation would have looked bright.
But the future for these people is anything but bright. They may want to return home but the armed
struggle and rise of ISIS makes this little more than a dream. The light was perfect and the pictures tell
the story, sure I got soaked through to the skin, my camera too – but this is
what we must do if we want others to see what life is like for those living on
the edge of survival.
Each year in June, World Refugee Day marks another time to remember and act on behalf of refugees. Worldwide over 40 million are displaced from
their homes, mostly as a result of conflict.
When I met Syrian refugees last year everyone said they wanted to return
home. For them life is marked by three
things, trauma, fear and the struggle to survive. Syria accounts for about 9 million displaced
people but we have been hearing many other stories. Thousands escaping from North
Africa – and then in Nepal after the earthquake in April this year, 8,000 dead
and 2.8 million displaced. Five
years on from the devastating earthquake in Haiti, of the 1.5 million who were
initially displaced 85,000 are still living in temporary shelter.
This is a day to step up and make a
difference, it may not solve the problem but it will make a difference. Don't forget and let your voice be heard.
No comments:
Post a Comment