David Morrissey visits Za’atari Refugee Camp, Jordan
Actor and UNHCR High Profile Supporter David Morrissey travelled to Jordan to see UNHCR’s frontline work for Syrian refugees.
David started his visit to Za’atari Camp with a briefing from UNHCR’s camp manager Kilian Kleinschmidt.
Click here to watch Kilian’s recent talk for TEDxHamburg on the challenges of running a refugee camp.
Photo by UNHCR/K. Lathigra/2014.
We made sure to provide David with the right headgear to protect him from the desert sun!
Photo by UNHCR/K. Lathigra/2014.
David met Mohammad, a Syrian refugee and former professional footballer, who coaches the kids in Za’atari Camp. Currently 55% of people in the camps are children under the age of 18.
Photo by UNHCR/K. Lathigra/2014.
David spoke with Mohammad in his prefabricated shelter, where he lives with his wife, six children and their new baby of 14 days. The family having been living in Za’atari for the last 18 months after fleeing Syria.
Photo by UNHCR/K. Lathigra/2014.
Photo by UNHCR/K. Lathigra/2014.
Time for a kickabout! David limbers up with Syrian kids before kick-off. There are now 55,000 kids in the camps and only 11,000 go to school – it’s vital that kids have activities to engage in to keep them safe and out of trouble.
Photo by UNHCR/K. Lathigra/2014.
Mohammad tests David’s goalkeeping reflexes from the penalty spot.
Photo by UNHCR/K. Lathigra/2014.
David was given a guided tour around the camp…
Photo by UNHCR/K. Lathigra/2014.
Photo by UNHCR/K. Lathigra/2014.
…and made a lot of new friends along the way!
David bought bread from a bakery on Za’atari’s Avenue Avenue des Champs-Élysées – the bustling main road that runs through the heart of the camp.
Photo by UNHCR/K. Lathigra/2014.
UNHCR’s Representative in Jordan, Andrew Harper, gave an overview of the Syrian refugee crisis. Over nine million Syrians are displaced within or outside Syria and 600,000 are in Jordan.
Photo by UNHCR/K. Lathigra/2014.
David spoke with Abu-Ibrahim, a Syrian refugee and former businessman who has been in the camp for the last eighteen months with his wife and five children. The family were forced to flee their village after they were detained and tortured. Their village was destroyed and they left alongside fifty relatives, neighbours and friends to flee to safety in Jordan.
Photo by UNHCR/K. Lathigra/2014.
