0:00:02 > 0:00:03You ready?
0:00:20 > 0:00:24Zaatari is one of the biggest refugee camps in the world.
0:00:25 > 0:00:28Hi, my name is Ahmed. I am 16 years old.
0:00:28 > 0:00:29I am from Syria.
0:00:29 > 0:00:34Ahmed lives here with nearly 40,000 other children who have fled
0:00:34 > 0:00:37the war in their own country with their families.
0:00:38 > 0:00:44I left Syria too because of the war and now I live in the UK.
0:00:44 > 0:00:47But Zaatari refugee camp is in Jordan,
0:00:47 > 0:00:50a country in the Middle East, next door to Syria.
0:00:50 > 0:00:53While the people here are safe for now, they've had to leave
0:00:53 > 0:00:55everything they love behind.
0:00:57 > 0:01:00All the kids in this camp are trying to get by.
0:01:01 > 0:01:04Mohamed works all day...
0:01:04 > 0:01:05Ola is football mad...
0:01:05 > 0:01:07KIDS CHEER
0:01:07 > 0:01:09..and Ali likes to be teacher.
0:01:10 > 0:01:14But Ahmed is known in the camp as the boy on the bicycle.
0:01:14 > 0:01:18And he says his bike makes him feel as free as a bird.
0:01:18 > 0:01:20Go, go, go!
0:01:20 > 0:01:24Ahmed is going to be our guide around this massive camp -
0:01:24 > 0:01:26it's over two miles across.
0:01:26 > 0:01:29If I want to go from the end to the other,
0:01:29 > 0:01:32it will take maybe one hour on the bicycle.
0:01:32 > 0:01:35Three years ago this was just desert
0:01:35 > 0:01:38and everything you see has been built from scratch.
0:01:38 > 0:01:42The main street is called the Champs-Elysees -
0:01:42 > 0:01:44just like the famous one in France!
0:01:44 > 0:01:46There's lot of shops here.
0:01:46 > 0:01:48There's even ice cream!
0:01:48 > 0:01:51They make a delicious ice cream.
0:01:52 > 0:01:54They go to school here.
0:01:54 > 0:01:56They play here.
0:01:56 > 0:01:58And they pray here.
0:02:00 > 0:02:03But, unfortunately, they cannot leave.
0:02:04 > 0:02:08And until they do, their futures are on hold.
0:02:19 > 0:02:23Ahmed has lived in Zaatari refugee camp for three years
0:02:23 > 0:02:24with his family.
0:02:24 > 0:02:26They are very close.
0:02:26 > 0:02:28This is my father.
0:02:28 > 0:02:30He is a businessman and he teach me
0:02:30 > 0:02:32everything I know.
0:02:32 > 0:02:37His dad supports the family now by running a shop on the Champs-Elysees.
0:02:38 > 0:02:42This is my sister, she is five years old.
0:02:42 > 0:02:45When she grows up, she wants to go to the school.
0:02:45 > 0:02:47These are his three brothers,
0:02:47 > 0:02:48Khaled,
0:02:48 > 0:02:50Omar,
0:02:50 > 0:02:51and Mohamed.
0:02:51 > 0:02:55His mum looks after them all in this storage container,
0:02:55 > 0:02:58which they have tried hard to make their home.
0:02:58 > 0:03:01Let me show you around the house.
0:03:03 > 0:03:05This is the kitchen,
0:03:05 > 0:03:08and also there is a bathroom inside.
0:03:11 > 0:03:14This is my bedroom. I share it with my three brothers.
0:03:15 > 0:03:17We sit here every day.
0:03:18 > 0:03:22Ahmed used to have his own bedroom back in Syria.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25They used to have a beautiful house and garden.
0:03:26 > 0:03:29This is my garden, here and here and here.
0:03:29 > 0:03:31This is the vegetables.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34You can see the pepper here, and this is the jasmine tree.
0:03:36 > 0:03:41It's so beautiful once it's grown-up and it will be so nice.
0:03:41 > 0:03:43The smell is really so cool.
0:03:45 > 0:03:47I miss everything in Syria.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50Syria is my home and I will never forget it.
0:03:50 > 0:03:56Syria is always in his mind, even though he is now living so far away.
0:03:56 > 0:03:58You can see the amazing views there, the waterfalls
0:03:58 > 0:04:01and some cherry trees
0:04:01 > 0:04:05and some pineapple trees.
0:04:05 > 0:04:06You can see a lot of things there.
0:04:06 > 0:04:10But if you look here you can...
0:04:10 > 0:04:11It's only just a desert here.
0:04:13 > 0:04:18The family didn't want to leave but the war forced them out.
0:04:18 > 0:04:20When we were there, our neighbours they say,
0:04:20 > 0:04:24"You have to leave Syria as soon a time as you can.
0:04:24 > 0:04:27"Cos they are going to destroy everything you have."
0:04:30 > 0:04:32Syria mean to me everything.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36It's the home, it's more like a mother for us.
0:04:44 > 0:04:48This is one of Zaatari refugee camp's football teams.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51Girls and boys are not allowed to play together
0:04:51 > 0:04:53so the girls have their own league!
0:04:53 > 0:04:56THEY CHEER
0:04:56 > 0:04:59Ola is 12, and is the team's striker.
0:04:59 > 0:05:04# I am the champion and you're gonna hear me roar... #
0:05:07 > 0:05:11- TRANSLATION:- Football is the best sport. It means everything to me.
0:05:11 > 0:05:15I play football here with all my friends.
0:05:15 > 0:05:16I love football.
0:05:19 > 0:05:21I love it very, very much.
0:05:21 > 0:05:25Ola's team has won three of the last four tournaments.
0:05:25 > 0:05:28She supports Manchester United!
0:05:28 > 0:05:30THEY CHEER
0:05:30 > 0:05:32Great goal, Ola!
0:05:36 > 0:05:40Ola lives in her storage container with her mum, sister,
0:05:40 > 0:05:43little brother and her twin baby brothers.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46They all sleep in this one room together.
0:05:47 > 0:05:50Ola's whole family - including her cousins,
0:05:50 > 0:05:53aunts and uncles and grandparents -
0:05:53 > 0:05:57walked across the desert from Syria to get to safety.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01When the bombing started Ola's family grabbed everything
0:06:01 > 0:06:04they could carry from their homes in Daara.
0:06:04 > 0:06:08It was so hot and difficult to walk, they couldn't keep
0:06:08 > 0:06:12hold of their favourite things and they left them in the desert.
0:06:12 > 0:06:17By the time they got to Zaatari camp they had nothing left but water.
0:06:21 > 0:06:23Let me show you around my neighbours.
0:06:28 > 0:06:30This is my auntie's house.
0:06:32 > 0:06:34And this is my other auntie's house.
0:06:38 > 0:06:39This is our neighbour's house.
0:06:41 > 0:06:43Ola's dad came with them from Syria
0:06:43 > 0:06:49but he has made his way to Germany and is now in a refugee camp there.
0:06:49 > 0:06:52It's hard for the family to be separated.
0:06:55 > 0:06:58I help Mum with as much as I can with everything around the house
0:06:58 > 0:06:59and with my brothers.
0:07:02 > 0:07:03I love them all very much.
0:07:06 > 0:07:10Ola relies on her friends in the camp to help her too.
0:07:14 > 0:07:16I have lots of friends here in the camp.
0:07:20 > 0:07:23They all support me, especially if I'm sad or depressed.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33In the camp, all the kids have had to leave
0:07:33 > 0:07:36everything behind, including their toys and technology.
0:07:36 > 0:07:40So here they've come up with new ways to entertain themselves!
0:07:44 > 0:07:46# Express yourself
0:07:54 > 0:07:56# Express yourself! #
0:08:01 > 0:08:04My brother now he would like to show some moves he learned.
0:08:04 > 0:08:05OK, go!
0:08:11 > 0:08:16I've been given my own camera by CBBC to film my friends
0:08:16 > 0:08:17and family at home.
0:08:18 > 0:08:23I want to show you a dance, the moonwalk by Michael Jackson.
0:08:26 > 0:08:30# Who will dance on the floor in the round... #
0:08:34 > 0:08:37I'm going to my English class
0:08:37 > 0:08:39in the course of volunteer
0:08:39 > 0:08:41and you can see my books.
0:08:45 > 0:08:46This is my notebook.
0:08:52 > 0:08:54This is my English book.
0:08:54 > 0:08:56Back in Syria, I loved school
0:08:56 > 0:08:59and that's where I learnt to speak English.
0:08:59 > 0:09:01'Do you think I'm any good?'
0:09:01 > 0:09:02I miss you.
0:09:02 > 0:09:03I miss you.
0:09:05 > 0:09:07- So much.- So much.
0:09:07 > 0:09:09- So much.- So much.
0:09:09 > 0:09:11- So much.- So much.
0:09:11 > 0:09:12- So much.- So much.
0:09:13 > 0:09:16I still love school now and I go every day.
0:09:18 > 0:09:20There are only nine schools in the camp
0:09:20 > 0:09:24and there are 18,000 children enrolled in them.
0:09:24 > 0:09:26It's so busy!
0:09:26 > 0:09:30Girls study in the morning and boys go in the afternoon.
0:09:32 > 0:09:33They are good teachers.
0:09:35 > 0:09:38They may say how you can speak English,
0:09:38 > 0:09:41I will make you a doctor in the future.
0:09:41 > 0:09:42I hope so.
0:09:44 > 0:09:48School here is not like anything at home.
0:09:48 > 0:09:50It can be crazy!
0:09:50 > 0:09:51RINGS BELL
0:09:51 > 0:09:54The wind is picking up.
0:09:54 > 0:09:56A desert storm is on its way!
0:09:57 > 0:10:00The situation here is so miserable for the Syrians.
0:10:00 > 0:10:02They all want to get back to their homes.
0:10:02 > 0:10:04Everyone must evacuate.
0:10:04 > 0:10:06This is my teacher, he teaches me science.
0:10:08 > 0:10:11The winds can go at 25mph,
0:10:11 > 0:10:17it swirls the sand around and blows it up your nose and into your mouth.
0:10:18 > 0:10:20It's so hard to breathe!
0:10:31 > 0:10:35You have to get home and lock yourself in for safety.
0:10:36 > 0:10:40We are in the middle of a difficult dusty storm in camp.
0:10:40 > 0:10:42The situation here is so difficult for the children,
0:10:42 > 0:10:44nobody can breathe well.
0:10:48 > 0:10:51The sky really is that red.
0:10:59 > 0:11:01It's too much, I can't see.
0:11:01 > 0:11:05If you moved away a couple metres, you will disappear.
0:11:05 > 0:11:08These terrible sandstorms happen a lot
0:11:08 > 0:11:12and so everyone knows how to protect themselves.
0:11:21 > 0:11:25After a sandstorm, there is always rain.
0:11:25 > 0:11:27You can see the rains,
0:11:27 > 0:11:30maybe you can hear it, the noise.
0:11:33 > 0:11:35Already started cleaning the house.
0:11:37 > 0:11:40And with rain comes flooding.
0:11:40 > 0:11:45These are not proper houses, so the water just comes in.
0:11:45 > 0:11:47This is my neighbour on his roof
0:11:47 > 0:11:50and he tried to fix his caravan
0:11:50 > 0:11:52because the dent it's...
0:11:53 > 0:11:56..so, so bad.
0:11:56 > 0:11:58In this situation, nobody can survive.
0:12:00 > 0:12:03A lot of dust storms happen.
0:12:03 > 0:12:05After it, rain storms.
0:12:05 > 0:12:10After, you can see the thunder storms and the hurricanes.
0:12:11 > 0:12:15Nobody can live here in this situation.
0:12:15 > 0:12:18But the younger kids always try to find some fun in it.
0:12:19 > 0:12:22KIDS SCREAM CHEERFULLY
0:12:36 > 0:12:39I love riding my bike.
0:12:39 > 0:12:41And I am very lucky to have it.
0:12:48 > 0:12:53Ahmed often goes to get bread from the bakery on the Champs-Elysees.
0:12:53 > 0:12:57There's a lot of shops here, like some dessert shop,
0:12:57 > 0:13:01some vegetable and fruit shops,
0:13:01 > 0:13:05and there's a salon for man and salon for women.
0:13:06 > 0:13:10Everything in the camp is brought in. It's all for sale.
0:13:11 > 0:13:16A lot of children work here because they have a special situation.
0:13:17 > 0:13:21A lot of them, they lost their parents in the war.
0:13:21 > 0:13:25Some of them, he's my friend, he lost his father in the war.
0:13:25 > 0:13:30One of them, his father got shot and his father can't work.
0:13:30 > 0:13:34He was the first in his class in the math,
0:13:34 > 0:13:37in the...everything, he was genius.
0:13:37 > 0:13:39But because of the situation,
0:13:39 > 0:13:42he start working to feed himself
0:13:42 > 0:13:44and his family all he can.
0:13:45 > 0:13:50Ahmed's friend had to drop out of school to go to work
0:13:50 > 0:13:53and there are plenty of kids doing jobs in the camp.
0:13:59 > 0:14:01THEY SPEAK IN ARABIC
0:14:04 > 0:14:10Mohamed is 12 and he's been working in the bakery for over two years.
0:14:14 > 0:14:18- TRANSLATION:- When I came to the camp I started straightaway.
0:14:18 > 0:14:20They taught me how to make bread.
0:14:25 > 0:14:30Every day I made around 700 or 800 loaves.
0:14:30 > 0:14:34Mohamed works seven hours a day and he earns £2 for that.
0:14:36 > 0:14:39When I work here, they treat me like a younger brother.
0:14:41 > 0:14:45Sometimes they let me take seven or eight loaves home.
0:14:45 > 0:14:48But I just take whatever I'm allowed.
0:14:49 > 0:14:53His father is still in Syria and the money Mohamed earns
0:14:53 > 0:14:57supports his mother and eight brothers and sisters in the camp.
0:14:57 > 0:15:00His wages mean they always have food.
0:15:02 > 0:15:04My father is in Syria.
0:15:04 > 0:15:08Every time he comes to the border, they tell him it's closed
0:15:08 > 0:15:10and they turn him back.
0:15:10 > 0:15:13I'm sad because my father's not with us.
0:15:14 > 0:15:18Mohamed hasn't been to school since he was he was in Syria
0:15:18 > 0:15:20and he doesn't expect to go back.
0:15:21 > 0:15:25My dream was to become a maths teacher but it didn't work out.
0:15:29 > 0:15:333,000 boys in the camp have stopped their studies to work
0:15:33 > 0:15:35to support their families,
0:15:35 > 0:15:38but up the road, a different kind of work is going on.
0:15:43 > 0:15:46Meet Ali.
0:15:46 > 0:15:48THEY SPEAK IN ARABIC
0:15:52 > 0:15:53Hello, my name is Ali.
0:15:53 > 0:15:57I am 12 years old. I am from Syria.
0:15:57 > 0:16:02I live...I live in Zaatari...
0:16:02 > 0:16:06reg...uh...
0:16:06 > 0:16:08- Re-fu-gee.- It's so good!
0:16:08 > 0:16:13Re-fu-gee camp, re-fu-gee camp, re-fu-gee camp.
0:16:13 > 0:16:18I live in Zaatari refugee camp.
0:16:18 > 0:16:20A lot of the kids want to learn English
0:16:20 > 0:16:24because they hope it will help them get a job in the future.
0:16:25 > 0:16:27So, clap your hands.
0:16:30 > 0:16:35So Ali gives a few friends some extra lessons, Zaatari style.
0:16:36 > 0:16:41- ALL:- A, B, C, D, E, F, G,
0:16:41 > 0:16:46H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P,
0:16:46 > 0:16:52Q, R, S, T, U, V, W... What's W?
0:16:52 > 0:16:54- HE SPEAKS IN ARABIC - W!
0:16:54 > 0:16:56W.
0:16:56 > 0:16:59- We.- KIDS:- We.- We.- We.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02- We always.- Always.
0:17:02 > 0:17:05- Do.- Do.- We always do.
0:17:05 > 0:17:09- We always do.- Our.- Our.
0:17:09 > 0:17:11- Homework.- Homework.
0:17:12 > 0:17:1617,000 children of school age in the camp
0:17:16 > 0:17:18do not go to school.
0:17:18 > 0:17:19That's half the kids there!
0:17:21 > 0:17:22Kareem.
0:17:22 > 0:17:26It's such a shame because they all loved school in Syria.
0:17:26 > 0:17:30- Kareem.- My name is Kareem.
0:17:30 > 0:17:32- WHISPERS:- Kareem, this is...
0:17:32 > 0:17:37- This is...- My.- ..my flower.
0:17:37 > 0:17:38- Friend.- Friend.
0:17:41 > 0:17:44Ali tries to teach his friends once a week.
0:17:44 > 0:17:46They all really look forward to it.
0:17:49 > 0:17:50Come on, you.
0:17:50 > 0:17:54Ali has been living in this camp for two years with his family.
0:17:56 > 0:18:00This is father and mother and brother and brother.
0:18:02 > 0:18:03Come inside my house.
0:18:09 > 0:18:13Ali's dad helps all his children to study.
0:18:13 > 0:18:16But Ali really is his star pupil.
0:18:16 > 0:18:19They send him to two different schools a day.
0:18:19 > 0:18:21SPEAKS IN ARABIC
0:18:21 > 0:18:24His dad would like to get Ali a private tutor
0:18:24 > 0:18:27but that's unlikely here in the camp.
0:18:27 > 0:18:31He says that many parents shed tears because their children have
0:18:31 > 0:18:35to go to work to support the family rather than go to school.
0:18:38 > 0:18:41And that's something that Ali's parents are trying to make sure
0:18:41 > 0:18:43doesn't happen to him.
0:18:45 > 0:18:50Ali's mum supports him all the way. She knows how high his hopes are.
0:18:55 > 0:19:00Ali wants to become a doctor just like Ahmed does.
0:19:00 > 0:19:04But unless they leave this camp, that's not going to happen.
0:19:06 > 0:19:10If you ask any family here or any camp,
0:19:10 > 0:19:12they will give you the same answer.
0:19:12 > 0:19:15If you tell them, "What do you want for the future?"
0:19:15 > 0:19:18Or, "What is your hopes for the future?"
0:19:18 > 0:19:23"I want to secure a future for my children, that's all."
0:19:23 > 0:19:25But if we don't have a good school,
0:19:25 > 0:19:30how we are going to make the dreams in our minds happen?
0:19:32 > 0:19:37There is something else that's different about their lives here too.
0:19:40 > 0:19:42This is the wedding shop here,
0:19:42 > 0:19:46because a lot of people, they get married so quickly.
0:19:48 > 0:19:52There is a wedding in the camp every week, sometimes two.
0:19:55 > 0:19:57These dresses aren't made in the camp,
0:19:57 > 0:20:00they bring them in like everything else.
0:20:01 > 0:20:03Families have to save up to buy them.
0:20:04 > 0:20:08Arrive at 16, 17, maybe 18, they will get married.
0:20:09 > 0:20:12- TRANSLATION:- Lots of girls get married young in the camp
0:20:12 > 0:20:13but I think it's wrong.
0:20:16 > 0:20:19I want to get an education and a job before I get married.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24Once they are married, the girls have to leave school.
0:20:27 > 0:20:30Ola goes to her school every day
0:20:30 > 0:20:33and you can see how keen the girls are to learn.
0:20:34 > 0:20:36They are so competitive!
0:20:45 > 0:20:48When I grow up, I want to be an architect
0:20:48 > 0:20:49so that when we go back to Syria,
0:20:49 > 0:20:53I will be able to rebuild Syria and have a happy life there.
0:20:55 > 0:20:58Look outside, another storm has arrived.
0:20:59 > 0:21:01It's pouring down.
0:21:01 > 0:21:03# Run, run, run away! #
0:21:18 > 0:21:20Ola needs to get home fast
0:21:20 > 0:21:23because she's calling her dad in Germany tonight.
0:21:33 > 0:21:34We don't have a mobile phone
0:21:34 > 0:21:38so we call our dad from our auntie's house every week.
0:21:38 > 0:21:40We tell him we miss him a lot and we ask him,
0:21:40 > 0:21:43"When can we see you again?"
0:21:43 > 0:21:47Ola's uncle has come around with his phone to make the call.
0:22:27 > 0:22:30My best dream is to be with my father and live with my father.
0:22:33 > 0:22:36It's not enough just to speak with him.
0:22:38 > 0:22:41We want to see him, sit with him and laugh with him.
0:22:44 > 0:22:46This is the future we want.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51Ola's family is one of many that have been broken up
0:22:51 > 0:22:52by the war in Syria.
0:22:57 > 0:23:00- ALL:- Hey!
0:23:02 > 0:23:05All around this camp there are kids doing the peace sign.
0:23:05 > 0:23:08The younger ones think it means "cool"
0:23:08 > 0:23:11but the older kids know what it really means,
0:23:11 > 0:23:13that it's a way of asking for peace.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18The Syrian war began in 2011.
0:23:42 > 0:23:48In Zaatari refugee camp, nearly 100 new people arrive every day.
0:23:52 > 0:23:55But some people want to leave, and this is very difficult.
0:23:58 > 0:24:04To get out, you need a permit, which is like a kind of passport.
0:24:04 > 0:24:08You can get it at this office but it's always very busy.
0:24:09 > 0:24:12I came down to apply a permit,
0:24:12 > 0:24:16I would like to leave the camp and visit my cousins in Amman.
0:24:16 > 0:24:20Ahmed's cousins live outside the camp in the capital city,
0:24:20 > 0:24:23and he's wanted to visit them for ages.
0:24:23 > 0:24:26But without a permit, he can't go.
0:24:28 > 0:24:31Ahmed is going inside to join the queue.
0:24:40 > 0:24:43Sadly, I couldn't get the permit today.
0:24:47 > 0:24:50I feel helpless. This is the first time I came here
0:24:50 > 0:24:53and apply for a permit to leave the camp.
0:24:55 > 0:24:59And it was more than a disaster for me.
0:25:00 > 0:25:03I'm not going to visit my cousins on the outside.
0:25:05 > 0:25:07He's very disappointed.
0:25:07 > 0:25:11So he's heading to his favourite place on the Champs-Elysees.
0:25:16 > 0:25:21The manager of this songbird shop is 18-year-old Tariq.
0:25:21 > 0:25:23He says they remind him of home
0:25:23 > 0:25:29because here in the camp there are no flowers, no trees and no birds.
0:25:29 > 0:25:31This is my favourite one.
0:25:31 > 0:25:34- HE SPEAKS IN ARABIC - Music.
0:25:34 > 0:25:39His name is Music because he still sings every day.
0:25:41 > 0:25:43You like to see egg of a bird?
0:25:44 > 0:25:48The most expensive pair of songbirds is £50,
0:25:48 > 0:25:51so Ahmed couldn't afford them.
0:25:51 > 0:25:55But he comes here to see them whenever he can.
0:25:57 > 0:26:01I feel the same feeling like him
0:26:01 > 0:26:05because he looks
0:26:05 > 0:26:08up and down and around him.
0:26:08 > 0:26:11He says, "What is this?"
0:26:11 > 0:26:13It's only just a cage for him.
0:26:14 > 0:26:18He would like to fly away and be free
0:26:18 > 0:26:22but he can't because he's in a cage right now.
0:26:22 > 0:26:25I'm in the same situation as him
0:26:25 > 0:26:27because I think I am in a cage in this camp,
0:26:27 > 0:26:31I don't have a chance or space for me to fly
0:26:31 > 0:26:33and just spread my wings.
0:26:35 > 0:26:37One day, I'm going to fly out of this camp.
0:26:41 > 0:26:44There is one last place Ahmed would like you to see.
0:26:52 > 0:26:56This part on the edge of the camp is special to me
0:26:56 > 0:26:59because you can see Syria from here.
0:27:00 > 0:27:04In that direction, there is my home, it's my beloved Syria.
0:27:12 > 0:27:15The last time I've been in Syria was 2012.
0:27:15 > 0:27:19Because I came here the next year.
0:27:19 > 0:27:23That was the last time I have seen Syria and my home.
0:27:24 > 0:27:29My house is destroyed because of the...
0:27:29 > 0:27:31bombing and
0:27:31 > 0:27:34the blowing there.
0:27:34 > 0:27:36My house now is destroyed.
0:27:36 > 0:27:38I don't have any house now.
0:27:40 > 0:27:43We have hopes to return to Syria.
0:27:45 > 0:27:47Oh, Syria, I miss you so much.
0:27:48 > 0:27:50Look at me.