THIS IS HOME: Meet the Syrian Child Refugees Behind the Cameras

ABC gave young refugees in the Za'atari camp cameras to document their lives.

ByABC News
September 18, 2016, 3:00 PM

— -- ABC News teamed up with UNICEF to give digital cameras to over 50 Syrian children ages 11 to 18 living in the Za'atari refugee camp in Jordan. We asked them to spend a week documenting daily life there. Now we are sharing their stories and their photos with you.

The Children Behind the Photos

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ABC News partnered with UNICEF to give over 50 kids in the Za'atari refugee camp in Jordan cameras to document their lives. Here, mentor Fouad Abdel Raheem Al Saeed helps Ali Al Sees and Yamn Barghash learn the basics of the camera.
Hamza El-Sees/UNICEF

    To learn a bit more about some of the young people behind the cameras, here are their profiles, translated from Arabic into English, along with a few of their photos.

    A boy about my age transports items on a wheelbarrow past the mosque.
    Ahmad Al-Koud/UNICEF

    What is your name? Ahmad Al-Koud.

    How old are you? Just turned 18.

    Where in Syria did you live? Al-Harra.

    How many years have you been in the Za'atari camp? Two and a half.

    What do you want to be when you grow up? My dream is to be a schoolteacher and shape the next generation.

    The falafel fryer and the beauty of food with the rays of sunlight shown through the mosque minaret at dusk. It gives me hope for a better life someday.
    Ahmad Al-Koud/UNICEF
    PHOTO: Children from our neighborhood go to a learning center.
    Children from our neighborhood go to a learning center. (There are approximately 26 informal learning centers in Za'atari called "Makani"or "My Space" in Arabic, where children can play sports, learn life skills, do art and cultural activities or receive counseling and do school work. They often go there for the second half of the day, when they are not in school, and on Saturdays.)
    Aya Barghash/UNICEF
    My cute little sister Farah helps out with chores in the house.
    Aya Barghash/UNICEF

    What is your name? Aya Barghash.

    How old are you? 16.

    Where in Syria did you live? Dara'a.

    How many years have you been in the Za'atari camp? Three.

    What do you want to be when you grow up? A psychologist, so that I can help people with their problems and worries.

    I tried to create this photo like a painting, using the dark part to frame the view outside. I took this looking out from inside my father's shop.
    Bayan Masri/UNICEF
    This is our neighbor's daughter. I helped raise her and love her like my own sister. She is crying because she wanted ice cream.
    Bayan Masri/UNICEF
    Children carry bread home. We go to the WFP center every morning around 7 a.m. to get bread.
    Mohammad Nour Al Abdallah/UNICEF

    What is your name? Bayan Masri.

    How old are you? 17.

    Where in Syria did you live? Dara'a.

    How many years have you been in the Za'atari camp? Almost four.

    How would you describe your life in the camp in one sentence? I don’t want to go back to the war in Syria.

    Red bell peppers being unloaded at the vegetable shop. There is a lot of demand for red bell peppers and eggplant as we use them to make a tasty pickle called maqdoos.
    Mohammad Nour Al Abdallah/UNICEF
    This garden was created by the people in District 1, Street 12. Every family came and planted something, so it's a collective effort.
    Reem Al-Hariri/UNICEF
    A sweet little neighbor of mine.
    Reem Al-Hariri/UNICEF

    What is your name? Mohammad Nour Al-Abdallah.

    How old are you? 16.

    Where in Syria did you live? Damascus.

    How many years have you been in the Za'atari camp? Almost four.

    What do you want to be when you grow up? My dream is to become a building engineer, and what I want even more is to become a soccer player.

    What is your name? Reem Al-Hariri.

    How old are you? 14.

    Where in Syria did you live? Dara'a.

    What do you want to be when you grow up? A journalist, because I like to spread news and I think news should be available to anybody.

    What is the thing you like most about the Za'atari camp? The security. There is safety here, which is good.

    ABC News’ Phaedra Singelis, Jeesoo Park, Ronnie Polidoro, Rym Momtaz, Kirit Radia, Lena Masri, Qossay Alsattari and Armando García contributed to this report.

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