Jihan, a UN-aligned intern, pens a raw diary from a refugee camp, recounting the harsh realities of daily life, personal loss, and the struggle to access healthcare due to financial hardship.
Life in a refugee camp seems stuck in an unending cycle of sameness. Days blur into one another, the only change being the unpredictable and often unforgiving weather conditions.
There is an attempt to document the individual days, but the repetition of the mundane is all too clear. Every harsh, cold morning feels identical, showing no mercy to the inhabitants. The only source of warmth is the resilience of the human spirit, akin to the skeletal structure of a body that refuses to succumb.
One particular Thursday morning was marked with reminiscences of a love lost. My thoughts wandered to my late fiancé, whose life was cruelly stolen by a stray bullet in Syria. He left a void filled with unspoken words and unspeakable grief. Attempts to shed tears proved futile; my tears seemed to have dried up, just as the sky had mercilessly drenched our fragile camp with its fury.
However, among all these tribulations, my health remains the most pressing concern. Specifically, an ailing eye that refuses to be ignored. It’s in moments like these that the stark reality of poverty becomes most evident. When simple medical attention becomes an unattainable luxury, the thought of money takes on a bittersweet connotation.
Each day mirrors the previous one, a constant reminder of my status as a captive to my own misery and pain. The label “refugee” seems synonymous with suffering, a cursed word that haunts me as long as I remain within this unforgiving landscape.
In the face of such overwhelming odds, what is most needed is your support. Whether it’s through raising awareness, volunteering, or contributing to refugee aid organisations, every little action can help to bring about change. Let us fight against the injustices faced by refugees like Jihan and many others. Stand up for humanity today, because tomorrow might be too late.
- This diary entry was submitted on November 2021.
