“This isn’t what we look like,” says Rizan, gesturing to her face and secondhand clothing.

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Rizan, her husband, Mohammed, and their two sons fled Aleppo more than two years ago. At first they lived in Turkey, where Mohammed was able to find work as a tailor. But as the war dragged on and Turkish authorities cracked down on the influx of refugees, both the work and their savings dried up. In desperation they left Turkey in March, hoping to travel to Germany before the borders slammed shut.

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She pulls out her phone and shows a photo of her and her husband from before the war. She’s dressed in a pale blue tracksuit and is wearing eyeshadow and gold bangles. She looks young.

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Photo & Story: Allison Voigts