Itayi Viriri

Slowly but surely, Rofiul's camp has undergone a magnificent transformation. The camp surroundings have become testament to the collective efforts of the community. The once-dirty pathways are mostly clean, and the air feels much cleaner. The community is now acutely aware of the detrimental consequences of polythene waste and now take great care to dispose of their trash responsibly.

“When we finally crossed the border and got into the bus, I wanted the driver to move as fast as possible and to never stop. I didn’t turn back to look at my country, not even for one last time,” says Sham Al Ahmad as she describes the moment she crossed from Syria to Jordan. In November 2012, Sham, 16, fled the Syrian town of Daara with her parents and four siblings.

“It’s really hard to leave my family behind, but I’m doing this for my baby,” Nour (27) says as she holds her 5-month-old baby boy, Nathalio in her lap. Her husband, Shadi, holds her hand. They are making the journey of a lifetime – 9,380 kilometers and 7 time zones from Aleppo to be exact. The young family is amongst the lucky ones who have been selected for resettlement in Canada.