On 4 July 2017, EMN organized a public discussion evening entitled Refugee camp, my home which welcomed more than 100 visitors. The discussion was preceded by screening of the documentary film Salam Neighbor together with a video message from the directors Chris Temple and Zach Ingrasci.
As the first filmmakers, they were allowed to live for a month inside a UNHCR refugee camp Za'atari in Jordan near Syrian borders. It is one of the biggest refugee camps in the world with currently more than 80 000 Syrian refugees. The directors uncover inspiring stories of individuals rallying, against all odds, to rebuild their lives and those of their neighbours. The film follows a story of Um Ali, a woman struggling to overcome personal loss and cultural barriers, and the street smart boy Raouf, whose trauma hides just beneath his ever present smile. The film won awards at several film festivals.
The film screening was followed by a discussion with Kilian Kleinschmidt about the dire conditions which refugees face. Kilian is a former director of Za’atari refugee camp in Northern Jordan and has over 25 years of hand-on experience in humanitarian aid and work with refugees. As an international networker, he is now challenging the Humanitarian Aid Sector through a range of new and unorthodox partnerships, technologies and ways of financing (www.switxboard.net).
You can watch the video from the dicsussion here.
The EMN discussion evening was organised within the 5th EMN Educational Seminar on Migration entitled “Addressing the needs of forced migrants in the 21st century” held in Bratislava on 3 – 5 July 2017. More information about the seminar is available here.
Photo gallery from the event
Photo gallery from the EMN Discussion Evening: Refugee camp, my home
Materials for download
EMN Discussion Evening: Refugee camp, my home – poster (518 kB)