Gabi, 23 years old, from Aleppo, Syria
Part 1
“…because of the war, we didn’t have jobs, there is no life there, we couldn’t live there - no job, no food, no water, no electricity… just darkness. Everything darkness.”
Gabi fled Aleppo three years ago after destruction took over his city. His family of five was mercilessly split in two: him and his mother fled first to Turkey and then to Greece, but his brother and two sisters couldn’t afford the trip to Greece and are now scattered within Turkey. It’s been 8 months since his arrival and refugee registration, and he and his mother are still living at a refugee camp, with no signs of progression.
Part 2
With a camera his brother shipped to him, he plans to make a documentary to expose the conditions of the refugee crisis in Greece and “to tell the world what is really going on here.”
Clutching his registration card, he laments, “It’s a bad place. This is not a life for human beings,” as he explains the terrible lack of resources and support at the camp, among them most importantly food, clothing, and shelter from the cold.
Part 3
But Gabi is still optimistic, and he can always be found smiling, holding on to hopes of a better and safer future.
“All the children make me smile everyday. When I see them smile, my heart is smiling. I swear. Because it’s hard for us, because we adults know what is happening in the world and at the camp, but they, the children, don’t know what is going on.”
He dreams of a brighter future for all of the refugees who’ve fallen victim to this crisis.
“I want to see everybody here in the camp, and all the refugees stuck in Greece, get out of this place and save their futures. I will be happy, I just want to see everybody happy.” And as for his family, he hopes, “we will get out of here and we will all be one family together,” then we can “start our lives together again.”
Photos: Shayanne Gal / Story: Voices of Refugees