Family: Hamid Abdelraza, 55, his wife Fatma Khdhair, 42, and their children Bilal, 7, Faride, 14, Mohammed 19, Marwa, 25 (married), Duaa, 22 (married), Rahama 19 (married). Hamid: “We fled our hometown of Fallujah approximately 2 years ago because of military operations. Our neighbourhood was threatened by ISIS. We were displaced to Erbil where we lived in a hotel for two weeks, and then, because it was too expensive, we decided to go back to Anbar. We stayed with my sister in Ramadi. In April [2015], we fled Ramadi and came to Baghdad. We fled from Ameriyat al Fallujah on foot and walked for 10 km until we reached the Bzeibiz bridge. My wife, who is sick, was feeling unwell. I had to push her on a wheel barrel because she couldn’t walk. The area around Bzeibiz bridge was so crowded and the road was blocked. We came only with the clothes on our back, nothing more. We entered Baghdad without sponsorship. When the police saw her at the bridge, they let us go through, because she looked as if she was about to die. From then on, we went straight to the camp and moved in on the same day. Our house was 200 square meters, it’s a big house, with 6 rooms and all the facilities, built in a modern design. When we arrived in the camp, we were living in tents. It was so difficult. We were sweating constantly, day and night. I would try to use a fan to help Fatma, but she was feeling horrible. [UNHCR] provided us with air coolers and rechargeable fans but the weather this summer was just too harsh. The tent was just too small, with dust everywhere. We were so excited when we found out [about the RHU]. The RHU is a blessing from god for us in the desert. We are so grateful to UNHCR for providing us shelter. The low ceiling was the worst in the tent. During the summer it was very hot and you couldn’t move inside either. In the RHU, there is space to move unrestricted and we started to buy things to make ourselves feel at home, like a set of drawers and a TV. It provides us

Two of Abu Abhoud’s daughters, Inas (4, left) and Baylasan (4, right), showing their drawing of their family and their home back in Syria. 50-year-old Syrian refugee Abu Abhoud left his home in Syria and brought his family to Lebanon in 2013 to keep them safe. Thanks to UNHCR, they now live in a rehabilitated apartment, where they can stay rent free for up to a year. “Shelter is the most important thing for a human being. It means safety, security and comfort.” (Abu Abhoud) ; As of 29 February 2016, Lebanon hosts 1,055,984 registered Syrian refugees. Source: Syria Regional Refugee Response Portal.

Burundi refugee Jacqueline, her husband Joseph and children Dani (4.5months) and Alikeli (7 years) have found safety and shelter in Nduta refugee camp, Kibondo, Tanzania. Jacqueline was pregnant with baby Dani when she fled Burundi. The family arrived in Tanzania on 28 June 2015 and after nearly 4 months in a mass shelter in Nyarugusu camp were transferred to Nduta camp at the end of November 2015 and allocated a UNHCR family shelter. “After so much time in the mass shelter, getting this shelter was so nice. The whole time in the other camp I worried about the children catching diseases and illness. Here we are together as a family,” says Jacqueline ; In February, Nduta refugee camp, Kibondo Region of Tanzania was host to some 43,000 refugees from Burundi, with capacity to shelter 55,000 people. Around 200 Burundi refugees arrived at the camp every day, fleeing the violence that escalated in May 2015. UNHCR has built emergency family shelters using wooden poles sustainably sourced from the local forests. Each family shelter has a veranda overhang to provide some outdoor shelter and storage space for firewood. Over the coming months the shelters will be upgraded using more transitional materials to provide a safer, warmer living environment.