Refugees aren’t just numbers thrown into political debates, they are real people. I’m lucky to have met and worked with many of them in Kenya, France, Iraq, Palestine and Uganda and I’m thankful for what they have taught me about the world, their cultures, and human resilience. I think about them all the time and mostly these thoughts make me smile because of the great moments we shared. But sometimes thinking about them fucking hurts. For real. And whenever I hear about new waves of people fleeing a country, I’m under the impression that I know these people. I can see their faces and hear their stories of being forced to leave home because a bunch of powerful people fucked up. I sit there at night, searching about South Sudan, Congo or Venezuela, tears blurring my vision because it’s not just a piece of information that will disappear as soon as the next celebrity dies or has a baby, it’s not just a number, these are real people.

On the bright side, I believe there’s always something we can do, whether it be by helping people who have fled, or creating a future where people won’t have to flee.

(Photo : Balata, Palestine, 2018)