Rafat

I think that if people are afraid of us, it’s not their fault, because they’ve never met us. We are not ISIS, just normal guys searching for a home.

Samer

Then I pushed the gun away from my father and hit the terrorist. He took the gun and hit my shoulder. I told him, “If you want a real fight, give me a gun or put down your gun and come fight me.”

Abeer

Teaching here is amazing. I love standing here in the middle of the class. I used to teach, it’s my job, it’s my work. And I can’t sit in the corner without doing anything… I am so happy because I can do something for my people.

Waseem

I didn’t have a real piano but I taught myself using paper. I would draw the piano keys and notes for how to play the song…My one big dream for my life is to be a composer.

Mohammad (Abu Oday)

I looked around and saw all of the children in the boat, including my own. I thought, oh God what should I do if the boat starts to sink? I was not thinking about myself, but about the children.

Nivin

I want to become a nurse. I love to help and care for people. At home, I would always take care of anyone who got sick in my family. I would bring them medicine, make them tea, and stay with them all night.

Sufyan

Two months into the academic year, he went to the university in the morning, just like he always did. Then, he got a call on his cellphone. His friend screamed into the phone: a missile landed on your house.

Asif

Some people reported to the Taliban that we were working for the government. So one day they caught us and put us into a car.

Hassan

I feel like the refugees are my responsibility. I will do everything for them. I lost my family, but I feel like all the refugees are like my big family.

Yasmin

I didn’t expect that I would fall in love with him, and certainly didn’t expect that I’d marry him. We were close for three or four months, just beginning to build our relationship. He left to Europe 3 days after we got married religiously.

Mohammad

They caught me once with cigarettes and they arrested me. They put me in a room with three dead bodies for 20 days. For the first three days I couldn’t sleep. I was close to losing my mind; I was so afraid.

Mustafa

The day I left it was the hardest day of my life. Every time I fall asleep I dream about this day. Nothing was as difficult as that day.