Le Za'atari's Champs-Élysées

The first time you hear the impoverished residents of Za'atari Refugee Camp refer to their main shopping high street as "Shams-Elysee" you could be forgiven for pausing and raising a questioning eyebrow.

For in fact Syria is colloquially known as Bilad Al-Sham. But such is the self-deprecating humour of the refugees that they are happy to wittily name their main shopping street after the prestigiously famous location on one of the world's most expensive strips of real estate; and one cannot but be amused at the irony of that sarcastic nod towards their former colonialists.

And never has a name & its name-sake been so disparagingly different for naturally Za'atari's Champs-Élysées bears absolutely no resemblance to the French original be it in location, consumers or goods. Yet it depicts the life-blood of Syrians; for it is in their very genetic makeup to earn a living through trade businesses.

Whether you are looking for a butcher, an oriental perfumerie or a mobile phone retailer you will find it here. Nestled in the unforgiving dust of the desert some in shacks, others in tents and the more affluent in caravans. There are over 680 shops catering to the 160,000 of the 4th largest 'city' in Jordan.

In fact, according to the merchants of this desertified Champs-Élysées, the street is not long enough to meet their shopping needs. So, naturally they want to build up! By stacking the caravans above each other, they are intent on creating 'malls'. Then they can have cafes over-looking the 'high-street' so that they can smoke argeelas in the evening and thus attract more business. It is hard to tell from the huge grins and twinkling eyes whether they were just pulling our legs. I almost hope they are not; for that would truly be a unique sight to behold.

The Fountain

The Syrians are well known for their love of beautiful courtyards, with lush green plants & musical fountains. It's a stereotypically cliche scene in every Syrian melodrama series on TV to observe the men folk gathered around the fountain sipping their tea debating over village politics whilst the women watch on; gossiping and giggling in the kitchen.

The attempt to recreate some semblance of normality in their lives by reverting to their inherited customs is a true mark of the resilience of the Syrian refugees in Za'atari. The Syrian man who built this fountain was aiming to add some beauty back into the lives of his family. As far as they are concerned this is to make their lives a little happier and in no way represents their intention to stay in Jordan.

In fact, when news broke out at the end of September that Obama was going to bomb Syria all such projects were immediately put on hold. I guess they are back in progress now.

There was such palpable joy in this small 'room' that it brought tears to my eyes. Stepping in from the dust & heat outside into this enclosure was surreal. At night when the children are asleep, the adults reclaim this space and listen to the songs of Um Kulthoom & Abdel Wahab as they smoke their argeelas and reminisce about a country that is only a stone's throw away.

Cooking with Pride

This Syrian refugee is cooking in the makeshift 'kitchen' created in between the caravan & covered by a tent. She was chatting to me whilst adding the rice to her chicken broth to make Kabsa...a spicy rice dish. The smell was fabulous and with great pride she filled a spoon with the stock and insisted that I try it. It tasted as good as it smelt. When you are a refugee there are very few things that you have control over and even fewer that you can take pride in. Cooking for your family is just one way to maintain some semblance of normality and reinforce family bonds.

This Syrian woman is one of the more fortunate in Zaatari since her brother-in-law is a real handyman and laid down a cement floor for her kitchen. #zaatari #refugee_life #refugee_camp #refugees #syria #syrian #jo #middleeast #humanitarian #photojournalism

Home is where the Heart is

The strength of a nation derives from the integrity of the home. ~ Confucius

When it comes to developing character strength, inner security and unique personal and interpersonal talents and skills in a child, no institution can or ever will compare with, or effectively substitute for, the home's potential for positive influence. ~ Stephen Covey

A Father's Burden

“Son, there are times a man has to do things he doesn't like to, in order to protect his family.” ~ Ralph Moody

A Syrian man looks on as his children play in the setting sun. The sprawling camp of tents and caravans can be seen behind them with young boys playing football in the background. #zaatari #refugee_life #refugee_camp #syrian #syria #jordan #jo

Homeward Bound

This is a daily scene at the Za'atari Refugee Camp in Jordan. Every weekday afternoon, on this occasion it was an hour before before sunset, the trucks & buses arrive and are quickly filled to the brim.

Young boys climb up on the cargo truck first so that their relatives below can hand them their luggage. The boys remain on board to make sure everyone's luggage stays safe during the short trip home and also to facilitate its unloading upon arrival.

The transportation, arranged and paid for by the Jordanian government; takes the refugees across the border where they may be met by a member of the Free Syrian Army or left to their own devices to make there way home.

In late September, around 300 people a day were leaving the camp to return to Syria. The convoy arrived in a blaze of desert dust amongst a stir of excitement from the waiting crowd. Suddenly there was a hive of activity and shouting as everyone rushed over to load their luggage under the watchful yet distant eye of the security forces.

Ironically those who were informally organising the process (and keeping the journalists and photographers at bay) were the self-appointed street leaders of Zaatari Camp. An aggravated man quickly approached us when we dared to stray from the zone to which we'd been allotted. "You can only shoot from here. Do not come any closer" he commanded sternly. The protective stance towards those heading back home was palpable yet frustrating given that we had waited for 90 minutes in the 35C degree heat of the desert sun for the arrival of the truck convoys.

Once the cargo truck (actually a huge refrigerated truck for food produce) was loaded the crowd quickly dissipated towards the passenger bus awaiting them nearby. Within minutes the convoy drove off towards the border leaving us covered in a cloud of dust as we wondered what would become of these (and future) returnees.

He who opens a school door, closes a prison. ~ Victor Hugo

Syrian refugee children have been integrated into the local schools in Mafraq, Jordan with many of the schools in that governorate now working two shifts per day. Several of the classes are filled beyond capacity and some schools do require additional staff & rudimentary resources inc. classroom furniture since the children may be forced to share a desk. This is the Ashrafiya Secondary School for Girls based in Mafraq. On the wall behind them a teacher proudly wrote: Countries are built on three essential foundations: Teachers to Educate, Soldiers to Protect, And Farmers to Feed it.