Salam Neighbor Page #2

It was wild, because ismail

looked just like my dad in

college.

And even acted like him.

They both love to cook.

What?

You're a master.

Beautiful.

Even had a very

similar sense of humor.

Before the war,

ismail was studying

At a university in

damascus to be a french teacher.

And as soon as the war started,

he had to flee the country,

Leaving everything

he knew behind.

He was one of the

first refugees in za'atari

When it opened

two years ago.

Why did you decide

to leave syria?

Was there a particular--

Like, when did you

choose to?

Was there a reason?

Something that happened?

every month,

tens of thousands

of people like ismail

Attempt the journey

out of syria.

% seek refuge

in egypt, lebanon,

Iraq, turkey and jordan.

With % of syria's

infrastructure destroyed

By the ongoing violence,

Families often spend

their entire savings on guides

Who will smuggle

them through the war zone

And eventually over the border

in the middle of the night.

We can proudly say that

when they come here,

That is when they can

actually breathe

And actually relax

and sleep.

It's important

to see people,

Check those who need

immediate assistance.

The very first, um, step

Is that of receiving water.

They've been traveling,

:, -- :

Yet again another step in a long

journey towards safety.

The second thing

is the vaccination.

They need full protection.

these services

rely on international aid

And private donations.

Sadly, the un

has only received

A little over half

of the funding

That donor countries

have promised for this crisis.

They're astonished, like,

how americans want to

live the same like--

astonished

in a good way or--

-Not in a good way.

-Okay.

thank you for

inviting us to your home.

And actually, we haven't

even seen many of these

types of food.

Could they explain to us

what they are?

and this is

olive oil and thyme.

- Aww!

so, where did you

learn to do all of these

hanging crafts?

Does it cost a lot

to make these?

with jordan's

high unemployment rate,

It's almost impossible

for refugees

To get visas

to legally work.

But inside the contained

space of the camp,

Jordan is more lenient,

Allowing more informal

business to start.

This is how um ali

sold her vase to an aid worker.

The law also prevents

refugees from leaving the camp

Unless they have

a jordanian sponsor.

But in order

to make a living,

Syrian refugees

overcome this barrier

By partnering

with jordanians,

Who bring supplies

in and out of the camp.

Syrians are finding ways

to work and be productive

By any means possible.

Here you have , people

in front of you,

And all that

they're begging for

Is to be recognized

as human beings

And not be just served

some assistance

Which may not always be adapted

to what they want.

people were showing us

That they have a different

concept of the space,

A different concept of how their

settlement should look like.

We were building a camp.

They were building a city.

in just two years,

syrian refugees

Have developed

a multi-million-dollar economy.

At the center of the camp

is a thriving market street

Jokingly named

the champs-elyses.

We're riding

on a donkey

Through the

champs-elyses.

With over

, business,

You can buy

almost anything.

The un has never

seen a camp's economy

Expand so quickly.

Many camps forbid

this kind of growth.

But syrians were determined

to rebuild their new lives.

And the un has even

begun to embrace this vision,

Putting za'atari

in a league all of its own.

In addition to

this bustling economy,

: -- :,

Our neighbors are

investing in their homes.

They're moving

trailers to be near family

And building

makeshift houses

That have bedrooms, gardens,

Private bathrooms,

and even fountains.

This kind of growth

in za'atari is remarkable.

But without the workings

of the city to support it,

It can only go so far.

In za'atari, there are

no household-level water

And sewage systems.

And the electrical grid

is completely overloaded.

there are

limits to what we,

As humanitarians,

can do.

We are good

as humanitarians,

As we are,

as the system is,

To provide first aid.

But we don't have

the capacity to work

On medium- and

long-term strategies.

We can pretend it,

but we don't have it.

nonprofits and the un

Don't have the

expertise to set up a city.

They need support from city

planners and private companies

To effectively run za'atari.

But the world hasn't stepped up

To support jordanians,

the un or syrians

To pursue this kind of vision.

Currently, za'atari

remains a short-term solution

For a long-term problem.

as we headed

into mafraq,

It was almost

too much to think

That za'atari

is only a fraction

Of the refugees

in jordan.

Most syrians

live outside of the camp.

And one was our

neighbor ghoussoon.

Like so many

of the families here,

She's the head

of her household.

One in four families

are led by a woman

:, -- :

Because so many

men are still in syria.

When did you make

that journey?

Did you make it by yourself from

syria to mafraq?

It's not easy. From

a gender perspective,

Many women are expected

to stay inside the home.

Of course, if you

have a female-headed

household,

The woman doesn't

really have a choice.

She has to leave

the home to find

Some kind of support

for her family,

Financial

or otherwise.

Wow.

Incredible.

even now,

when you have to provide

For your whole family,

Um, is there ever,

you know--

Would you ever think

about going to za'atari,

Where they give you free food

or they give you, uh...

Different services?

ghoussoon

arrived in jordan

Before the refugee

camps were set up.

She chooses not

to relocate to za'atari

Because she believes

she can build

A more traditional

home for her kids

outside of the camp,

Where they can go

to public jordanian

schools.

Hey!

Who drew on this?

What is this?

We have graffiti

on our--

-Oh, yeah.

-I can't tell--

at least it's a heart.

It says

"raouf's tent"?

No, really?

Does it really?

It says

"raouf's tent"?

-Raouf?

-Abdel raouf.

Did you do these?

Thank you.

My man raouf,

let's get inside.

It's cold.

Yeah, it's cold.

Aren't you freezing?

Did you clean--

You cleaned the--

: -- :,

Aw, raouf.

Raouf, sit on

the mattress.

I appreciate that.

Dude, this kid

is the man.

Did you go to school

in syria?

What grade were you in

when you left?

So, uh, what do you

want to be

When you, uh, grow up?

You want to be

a doctor? Nice.

Have you always wanted

to be a doctor?

He wants to help

the injured people.

You want to help

the injured people?

Like, the people

back in syria?

There's a lot of school

before you can become

a doctor.

And you're willing

to do it all?

Yeah? Wow.

Well, maybe--

can you be my doctor

when I'm--

:

When you're a doctor?

I would love to

have a doctor.

it's been

almost two years now,

And raouf still doesn't

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes