Syrian refugee girls and the vision to overcome victimhood

Syrian refugee girls and the vision to overcome victimhood
In the wake of billions of dollars pledged for Syrian refugees, many displaced young women and girls are sharing stunning photos of hopes for a future away from war.
2 min read
06 Feb, 2016
The project aims to let children's ambitions take flight
According to UNICEF, more than 2.6 million children from war-ravaged Syria are out of school, sparking fears of a "lost generation".

Yet many Syrian girls are determined that they still have a future.

As part of a project named Vision, not Victim, led by the International Rescue Committee, Syrian girls are encouraged to study "global skills" and supported to build a better future for themselves.

Despite enduring an horrific war and mass displacement, many still have the vision and the ideas to help their country stand on its feet once more.

Photographer Meredith Hutchison visited Syrian girls in Zaatari and Mafraq refugee camps in northern Jordan to talk about their hopes and ambitions for their futures.

The girls then designed and directed photoshoots imagining themselves in their future careers.

The campaign was shot in summer last year, but has come back into the spotlight as delegates to the Syria Donor Conference in London pledged billions in support of needs of refugees.

"These photographs show the children who will one day rebuild Syria. The UK is urging the world to make a choice in education to ensure that the conflict does not rob Syria's children of a future," said UK State Secretary for International Development Justine Greening.  

"By giving them an education, they have the opportunity to become the doctors, lawyers and architects of tomorrow."




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