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Instagram page sheds light on human side of refugee crisis

By Suzanna Goussous - Dec 05,2016 - Last updated at Dec 05,2016

Photos posted on Instagram with captions narrating stories of Syrian and Iraqi refugees living in camps across Jordan (Photos courtesy of @Lifeofarefugenius Instagram account)

AMMAN — Aiming to highlight daily life issues of refugees, two young Jordanians have started an Instagram account that brings people’s attention to the human side of refugees’ lives in the Kingdom, by sharing snippets from their lives that inspire and motivate.

Haneen Diri, psychosocial counsellor at CARE International, and Rana Tarawneh, human resources officer at a local company, decided to launch the account to reflect on lives of refugees with pictures and captions. 

The Instagram account “@Lifeofarefugenius” was created in late August with the initial purpose of raising awareness of the local and international communities on the issue of displaced citizens mainly after the Syrian crisis, which started in 2011.

As of November, around 655,833 UNHCR-registered refugees dwell in Jordanian camps. 

 “We usually brag about things that aren’t really important. We realised people don’t know much about refugees and how they manage their daily issues,” Diri told The Jordan Times in a recent interview.

The Instagram account has more than 4,100 followers from all around the world, with a good number from European countries and the US, she said, adding that many international figures, TV presenters and writers follow the page.

“When we created the Instagram page, Rana and I were not expecting anything in return. We didn’t want it to be a sad story as much as a motivation to make people appreciate what they already have,” she added.

Diri, who has access to the Azraq Refugee Camp and host communities in Zarqa, works around eight to nine hours with refugees, which enables her to have conversations with them, with detailed information about their lives.

“To have access to the camp means you can talk to refugees, to describe their needs or narrate their happy moments, such as graduations or casual one-to-one conversations,” she explained.

One of the most emotional stories Diri said she encountered was when she met a child diagnosed with Down syndrome, who is an energetic young man and spreads positivity and laughter among his friends and other residents in the camp, despite his limited abilities to speak and express himself.

“We had a very special bond. He is a clever child with so much to offer. I wish I can transmit his energy.”

With winter hitting its stride soon, Diri said refugees face more challenges, as every six to eight trailers share one bathroom, with a long distance to walk from the prefab to the bathroom, 

For their winter campaign, Diri and Tarawneh have received around 300 bags of clothes donated by the public to the refugees.

“Eight volunteers were involved in this campaign. They helped in collecting, categorising and organising the donations,” she said.

Diri added that refugees residing in Azraq, Zaatari, or among host communities such as the Zarqa Suburb Host Community for Syrian or Iraqi refugees, “lack physical and psychological stability, in addition to a consistent income — as they are dependent on NGOs and local organizations”.

At every local or international NGO, a Syrian volunteer is hired with every one or two Jordanian employees, she explained, adding that there are around 1,000 Syrian applicants to CARE International, some 450 of whom get hired. 

“We wanted to send an image to people to become more aware, instead of the traditional newspaper articles. They can be more involved and contribute to the cause,” Diri added.

“Even our close friends after we created the [account] became more aware. I myself didn’t know about the stories of camp dwellers, which was the main motive. We write their stories as they are — genuine. We don’t rethink them, but only present the real image of refugees.” 

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