Finding a new home
Iraqi Kurdistan is currently home to over 200,000 Syrian refugees who hope to be able rebuild their lives in the neighboring region.
A new home?
More than 200,000 Kurdish refugees from Syria have arrived in northern Iraq. Most of the refugees now based in the semi-autonomous Kurdistan are Kurds from the northeast of Syria. A lack of work, food, and a great sense of insecurity forced them to leave their homeland.
New arrivals
Everyday sees a new influx of refugees from Syria in the Domiz Refugee Camp. Most of the Kurds from the northeastern part of the country escaped a cold winter with little or no electricity for heating and a severe shortage of food in the region.
City camp
At first sight, the refugee camp in the Kurdish Iraqi town Domiz almost resembles a small city. An asphalt road runs along a number of shops that sell everything from perfume, bread, kebabs to wide-screen TV’s. But behind it, a large refugee camp shows it face, now home to those who lost their homes across the border a few kilometers away.
War scars
This child managed to escape the war in Syria together with his family after both his hands were injured. Now, his family is getting hospital care in the camp.
Stark reminder
Many refugees escaped to Domiz because they couldn't find work in Syria, but things are not looking better in Iraq. They relate how they survive thanks to aid from the World Food Program. But that hardly suffices to lead a normal life and the shops and restaurants on the main street in the camp offer a stark reminder of what they do not have.
Sharing despite the hardship
The refugees in the camp send food and other aid to their friends and relatives across the border just a few kilometers away, but it is far from not enough. All of them are angry that the country is still at war and they miss their homes and relatives but at the same time they're grateful for the hospitality offered by the Iraqi Kurds.