0:00:02 > 0:00:04In 2015, we met three amazing kids,
0:00:04 > 0:00:08who lived in the world's largest refugee camp.
0:00:08 > 0:00:10Hi, my name's Ahmed, I am 16 years old.
0:00:12 > 0:00:14Ahmed loved the freedom of his bike.
0:00:16 > 0:00:19I want to go from the end to the other.
0:00:19 > 0:00:22It will take maybe one hour on the bicycle.
0:00:26 > 0:00:28Ola was football crazy.
0:00:31 > 0:00:34Hello, my name is Ali, I am 12 years old.
0:00:34 > 0:00:37And Ali was a great teacher.
0:00:37 > 0:00:39Always do homework.
0:00:39 > 0:00:43They had to leave their homes in Syria because of the war there.
0:00:43 > 0:00:47They made it to Zaatari, a refugee camp in Jordan,
0:00:47 > 0:00:50a country near the border with Syria.
0:00:50 > 0:00:53Everyone was safe in the camp, but their lives were on hold.
0:00:53 > 0:00:58One day I will fly out of this camp.
0:00:58 > 0:01:02Now that they are two years older, we've come back to look for them...
0:01:03 > 0:01:06- TRANSLATION:- The day before we left the camp, we were excited to leave.
0:01:06 > 0:01:10But when the time came to say goodbye, I wanted to stay.
0:01:11 > 0:01:13..to see how their lives have changed.
0:01:35 > 0:01:38I am also one of 5 million people who left Syria
0:01:38 > 0:01:39because of the war there.
0:01:42 > 0:01:45But my family managed to get out
0:01:45 > 0:01:46and we came to the UK.
0:01:47 > 0:01:50THEY SHOUT HAPPILY
0:01:52 > 0:01:53Remember Ali?
0:01:56 > 0:01:59Ali's classes for his friends were always packed.
0:02:00 > 0:02:04B, C, D, E, F, G...
0:02:04 > 0:02:07"My name is Karim."
0:02:07 > 0:02:09"This is."
0:02:09 > 0:02:10"This is."
0:02:10 > 0:02:12- "My."- My."
0:02:12 > 0:02:14- "Flower."- Friend."
0:02:14 > 0:02:18- "Friend."- Two years on, Ali is now the new boy on the bicycle.
0:02:20 > 0:02:23- TRANSLATION:- I live in the Zaatari camp and I'm 14 years old.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29And Ali would like us to meet someone new in his family.
0:02:30 > 0:02:32- ENGLISH:- This is my new brother Majid,
0:02:32 > 0:02:36and this is my father and this is my mother
0:02:36 > 0:02:40and this is my brother Hamse, and my brother Ahmed.
0:02:41 > 0:02:44Majid was born in the camp 18 months ago.
0:02:57 > 0:03:02- TRANSLATION:- When I get on my big bike, he wants to get on it with me.
0:03:02 > 0:03:04But he doesn't let me get close to his bike!
0:03:06 > 0:03:08With another baby,
0:03:08 > 0:03:10Ali's family decided to stay in the camp
0:03:10 > 0:03:12until it's safe to go home to Syria.
0:03:19 > 0:03:20At the camp in 2015,
0:03:20 > 0:03:23we met the striker in the girls' football team...
0:03:24 > 0:03:26..Ola.
0:03:26 > 0:03:29While Ola and her brothers and sisters were in the camp,
0:03:29 > 0:03:32her dad managed to get to Germany,
0:03:32 > 0:03:35so that he could give his children a better life.
0:03:35 > 0:03:37TRANSLATION:
0:03:52 > 0:03:55Now Ola and her family live in Germany, too.
0:03:58 > 0:04:00- TRANSLATION:- Here is my sister Noura,
0:04:00 > 0:04:03my brother Bilal,
0:04:03 > 0:04:06my dad, my mum
0:04:06 > 0:04:07and my little brother.
0:04:09 > 0:04:13SHE LAUGHS
0:04:13 > 0:04:17Ola is at school in Germany and she has made new friends with other
0:04:17 > 0:04:19refugees who have made it to Europe.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24We didn't know anything about school here.
0:04:24 > 0:04:29But I met three of the best teachers and their teaching is excellent.
0:04:35 > 0:04:37- TRANSLATION:- Good morning.
0:04:37 > 0:04:39Are you all well today?
0:04:39 > 0:04:41Good.
0:04:41 > 0:04:43Ola has been here for about a year,
0:04:43 > 0:04:47and her German is really good for such a short period of time.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53I have a lot of respect for her.
0:04:53 > 0:04:56SHE SPEAKS GERMAN
0:05:00 > 0:05:02When Ola lived in the camp, school was in a tent.
0:05:07 > 0:05:11They could only go for four hours a day and there were so many girls
0:05:11 > 0:05:13in every class!
0:05:17 > 0:05:20School in Germany is a change for the better.
0:05:20 > 0:05:23SHE SPEAKS GERMAN
0:05:28 > 0:05:29I love my teachers.
0:05:31 > 0:05:32They are very supportive
0:05:32 > 0:05:34and treat us all equally.
0:05:38 > 0:05:40When the bombing started in their home in Syria,
0:05:40 > 0:05:44Ola's family had to walk many miles to the refugee camp in Jordan.
0:05:46 > 0:05:50Everything they owned had to be left behind in the desert,
0:05:50 > 0:05:52even her precious football.
0:05:57 > 0:05:59But she's making up for it now.
0:06:03 > 0:06:05I have improved a lot in football.
0:06:05 > 0:06:10In Jordan, I didn't play with boys, so it has been quite tricky.
0:06:10 > 0:06:14Ola is still football mad, and she gets even more goals!
0:06:19 > 0:06:20Go, Ola!
0:06:30 > 0:06:34Hi, my name is Ahmed, I am 16 years old, I am from Syria.
0:06:35 > 0:06:39Two years ago, Ahmed spent his time cycling around the camp,
0:06:39 > 0:06:40whenever he could.
0:06:42 > 0:06:46I feel the same feeling like him
0:06:46 > 0:06:52because he looks up and down and around him
0:06:52 > 0:06:55and he says, "What is this?
0:06:55 > 0:06:58It's only just a cage for him.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02He would like to fly away and be free.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06But he can't, cos he is in a cage right now.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09I'm in the same situation as him
0:07:09 > 0:07:12cos I think I'm in a cage in this camp.
0:07:12 > 0:07:16I don't have a chance or a space for me to fly,
0:07:16 > 0:07:18and just spread my wings.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28Recently, Ahmed and his family did just that.
0:07:33 > 0:07:37A new house and a new life about ten miles outside the camp.
0:07:38 > 0:07:39These are my family members.
0:07:39 > 0:07:41This is my little sister Horan,
0:07:41 > 0:07:43this is my brother Khaled,
0:07:43 > 0:07:45this is my mum and this is my father Brahim.
0:07:45 > 0:07:48I'm going to show you my house from the inside.
0:07:52 > 0:07:53This is the guest room...
0:07:57 > 0:08:00..and this is the kitchen over there.
0:08:01 > 0:08:03And this is my own room.
0:08:06 > 0:08:10This is my desk where I study every day.
0:08:10 > 0:08:11It's so good here.
0:08:13 > 0:08:15This is a big change for the family.
0:08:15 > 0:08:19In the refugee camp, they lived in a storage container.
0:08:21 > 0:08:24# Another day, another life
0:08:24 > 0:08:26# Passes by just like mine
0:08:26 > 0:08:29# It's not complicated
0:08:31 > 0:08:37# Do you ever wonder if the stars shine out for you...? #
0:08:37 > 0:08:42Ahmed had to sell his bike to help pay for the house move.
0:08:42 > 0:08:46So he now has to walk across the desert to his new school.
0:08:49 > 0:08:53Now I'm going to my classroom to get my lessons.
0:08:53 > 0:08:54My first lesson is the English lesson.
0:08:59 > 0:09:00Welcome.
0:09:02 > 0:09:04Starting a new school can be tough.
0:09:04 > 0:09:07I am the only Syrian student here.
0:09:07 > 0:09:08Even if we are all Arabs,
0:09:08 > 0:09:12that doesn't mean we have the same culture and customs.
0:09:15 > 0:09:17Ahmed is a top-class student.
0:09:18 > 0:09:19What is the object?
0:09:19 > 0:09:21The flowers.
0:09:21 > 0:09:24But he misses his Syrian friends at the camp.
0:09:30 > 0:09:32Back at Zaatari, I had my buddies.
0:09:32 > 0:09:36We used to go to the gym together and we used to ride our bicycles
0:09:36 > 0:09:38together. We would go to the school together,
0:09:38 > 0:09:40we would do everything together.
0:09:40 > 0:09:42We are the same brothers.
0:09:43 > 0:09:47We've gone through the same thing and the same crisis,
0:09:47 > 0:09:50and there is no difference between us.
0:09:51 > 0:09:53We are just like one big family.
0:09:53 > 0:09:55- I miss you.- I miss you.
0:09:59 > 0:10:01Ahmed may have a new house and school,
0:10:01 > 0:10:05but he doesn't have his old friends to go home with.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08And it's a long trek back.
0:10:08 > 0:10:10I have to walk for one hour and a half to go
0:10:10 > 0:10:13and one hour and a half to come back from school.
0:10:20 > 0:10:23# Such a long way down
0:10:26 > 0:10:29# It's a long way down
0:10:33 > 0:10:35# It's a long way down. #
0:10:48 > 0:10:51During the summer, the camp gets really hot and dusty.
0:10:51 > 0:10:53It's in the middle of a desert.
0:10:56 > 0:10:58Ali has been trying to keep his family cool.
0:11:01 > 0:11:04- TRANSLATION:- I invented this air-conditioning unit.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07It's made from two engines, a fan and this remote control.
0:11:10 > 0:11:12To make cold air, I put ice in here.
0:11:17 > 0:11:18It's working!
0:11:24 > 0:11:26It's absolutely perfect!
0:11:29 > 0:11:32It's been a tough time for Ali and his family.
0:11:35 > 0:11:39They trekked across the desert from their home in Syria,
0:11:39 > 0:11:41to Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan.
0:11:46 > 0:11:48Even after living here for five years,
0:11:48 > 0:11:52his dad thinks it's the safest place for Ali and his brothers.
0:11:55 > 0:11:57I am very pleased for my children to be here.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02Because in Syria, I would worry about them being killed.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08Here, there is education and everything they need.
0:12:12 > 0:12:16This morning, Ali is going with his mum to the hospital -
0:12:16 > 0:12:18Majid has injured himself at home.
0:12:21 > 0:12:26Yesterday, Majid grabbed a hammer and hit his fingers.
0:12:26 > 0:12:29It's not looking good,
0:12:29 > 0:12:31so we've come to the hospital.
0:12:37 > 0:12:40Majid is bandaged up and while he's there,
0:12:40 > 0:12:43he gets a free health check, too.
0:12:43 > 0:12:44Let's weigh you.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49When Majid was born, I loved him very, very much.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55I love to take him out with me and play with him.
0:12:57 > 0:12:59Majid has changed my life a lot.
0:13:01 > 0:13:03Everything looks fine.
0:13:03 > 0:13:05There's no need to worry.
0:13:09 > 0:13:12Ali would do anything to protect his baby brother.
0:13:30 > 0:13:31In Germany,
0:13:31 > 0:13:34Ola and her family have received a parcel of warm clothes
0:13:34 > 0:13:39from relatives in the camp who are also facing a cold winter.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45THEY SPEAK OWN LANGUAGE
0:14:02 > 0:14:07Hundreds of people die every year making the dangerous journey across
0:14:07 > 0:14:10the sea to reach European countries.
0:14:11 > 0:14:14Ola's cousin came to Germany like this,
0:14:14 > 0:14:16with their grandmother and grandfather.
0:14:18 > 0:14:20Two boats set off that night -
0:14:20 > 0:14:22one for the Arab refugees
0:14:22 > 0:14:25and another for people coming from Africa.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29- TRANSLATION:- There were so, so many people.
0:14:29 > 0:14:32They were half foreigners, half Arabs.
0:14:32 > 0:14:36Arabs go in one boat and the foreigners on another.
0:14:36 > 0:14:38The boat driver was Arabic.
0:14:38 > 0:14:40It was so, so crowded.
0:14:40 > 0:14:42I was praying we would drown,
0:14:42 > 0:14:45because people were sat on top of me.
0:14:45 > 0:14:46I was crying all the time.
0:14:54 > 0:14:57The other boat sunk and those people drowned.
0:15:00 > 0:15:02They died, but we survived.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08When we arrived at the shore, we were very happy.
0:15:11 > 0:15:13Everyone threw themselves into the sea.
0:15:15 > 0:15:19Ola's cousin and grandparents made it to Germany,
0:15:19 > 0:15:22followed by her dad, and were allowed to stay.
0:15:22 > 0:15:26But Ola and the rest of the extended family were still in the camp
0:15:26 > 0:15:28in Jordan.
0:15:28 > 0:15:30Being separated was very hard.
0:15:41 > 0:15:44A year later, after missing her dad so much,
0:15:44 > 0:15:50Ola and her mum and brothers and sisters were reunited with him.
0:15:50 > 0:15:52It was a happy day for all the family.
0:15:55 > 0:15:57It was an unforgettable day.
0:15:57 > 0:16:03When I saw them at the airport, it was the most beautiful moment,
0:16:03 > 0:16:05just like the day they were born.
0:16:07 > 0:16:12But Ola found leaving her other grandmother in the camp very hard,
0:16:12 > 0:16:16and now she calls her every week.
0:16:17 > 0:16:21At first, I didn't cry and I held back my tears.
0:16:22 > 0:16:24I tried to be strong,
0:16:24 > 0:16:26but then I saw my grandma and started crying.
0:16:29 > 0:16:30I just couldn't help it.
0:16:35 > 0:16:40- Bye, bye, bye.- Bye. - Bye, bye, bye.- Bye.
0:16:40 > 0:16:41Bye, bye, bye, bye.
0:16:46 > 0:16:51Even after his long trek across the desert from school,
0:16:51 > 0:16:52Ahmed's day is not finished.
0:17:03 > 0:17:05Well, I just came back from school.
0:17:05 > 0:17:09I am going to take a rest and then I'm going to go to my work.
0:17:09 > 0:17:13Every night during exams, he revises for three hours.
0:17:13 > 0:17:19I study until 11 or sometimes 11.30pm.
0:17:19 > 0:17:24And then I'm going to go to sleep and wake up at 6am
0:17:24 > 0:17:26to study.
0:17:26 > 0:17:29It is so tiring to do
0:17:29 > 0:17:31every day, every day, every day.
0:17:33 > 0:17:37When he is not doing his exams, Ahmed has a job on a farm,
0:17:37 > 0:17:38to help the family out.
0:17:38 > 0:17:42His dad is not allowed to work because he doesn't have a permit.
0:17:43 > 0:17:45In Syria, they were well-off,
0:17:45 > 0:17:49but now the family relies increasingly on Ahmed.
0:17:51 > 0:17:56Everyone knows the terrible things that are happening in Syria
0:17:56 > 0:17:58and all the destruction.
0:18:00 > 0:18:03Our home was bombed more than once.
0:18:03 > 0:18:08So, we had to leave to save our children's lives.
0:18:10 > 0:18:15Life here is expensive and this has an impact on Ahmed,
0:18:15 > 0:18:18as he is the oldest son in the family.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24Ahmed's job helps to pay for the household bills
0:18:24 > 0:18:26and food for everyone.
0:18:32 > 0:18:37He is determined to do everything he can for his family.
0:18:37 > 0:18:42It is up to me to make my mother and father so proud of me.
0:18:42 > 0:18:46As I promised them before, five years ago, before the war, even,
0:18:46 > 0:18:51I told them, "I am going to be the first in my class ever."
0:18:51 > 0:18:54And for each year, I was the first,
0:18:54 > 0:18:57but this year, it's the final one
0:18:57 > 0:19:02for the high school stage in Jordan.
0:19:02 > 0:19:05So it's going to identify my destiny in the future.
0:19:15 > 0:19:19This morning, Ali is back at school in the camp.
0:19:19 > 0:19:21He goes every day and he still loves it.
0:19:25 > 0:19:27THEY SPEAK OWN LANGUAGE
0:19:29 > 0:19:32But today he has an exam, so the pressure is on.
0:19:36 > 0:19:38- TRANSLATION:- I'm nervous about my exams.
0:19:39 > 0:19:41I wonder what the questions will be.
0:19:43 > 0:19:45But I'm confident I'll be the best in class.
0:19:51 > 0:19:53The maths test is first
0:19:53 > 0:19:57and then it's back to his favourite subject, English.
0:19:57 > 0:20:00- ENGLISH:- Your own lifestyle.
0:20:00 > 0:20:02Look here.
0:20:02 > 0:20:04Do we live in Syria?
0:20:04 > 0:20:07Do we live the same kind of life
0:20:07 > 0:20:10as they live in England, for example?
0:20:11 > 0:20:14All the teachers in the camp are Syrian too.
0:20:14 > 0:20:17Because adult refugees are not allowed to work in Jordan,
0:20:17 > 0:20:20they are volunteers.
0:20:21 > 0:20:25Experience or live different lifestyles.
0:20:25 > 0:20:26Different lifestyles.
0:20:29 > 0:20:34- TRANSLATION:- The teachers treat us so well and they don't shout at us.
0:20:34 > 0:20:36Because of this, we love to come to school.
0:20:39 > 0:20:43- ENGLISH:- Difficult. - It's difficult.
0:20:43 > 0:20:44Difficult.
0:20:44 > 0:20:46Very tough.
0:20:46 > 0:20:48A very difficult life.
0:20:57 > 0:21:00In Germany, it is exam time for Ola too,
0:21:00 > 0:21:05and it's even tougher because she has to take them in a new language.
0:21:06 > 0:21:08I'm now studying German.
0:21:08 > 0:21:12To achieve my dream, I have to go to a school called Gymnasium,
0:21:12 > 0:21:13which is very hard to get into.
0:21:15 > 0:21:19I want to become an architect, and when we return to Syria,
0:21:19 > 0:21:22I will rebuild all the houses and make them beautiful.
0:21:24 > 0:21:26I would do drawings from my imagination.
0:21:34 > 0:21:36If she ever feels nervous,
0:21:36 > 0:21:40Ola returns to one of her most treasured possessions.
0:21:40 > 0:21:45Her graduation certificates from her first school in Syria.
0:21:45 > 0:21:48These certificates are important to me, because even at nursery,
0:21:48 > 0:21:51I was one of the best students.
0:21:51 > 0:21:53She hid the certificates in her clothes
0:21:53 > 0:21:57as she fled across the desert to the refugee camp in Jordan.
0:21:59 > 0:22:00When I struggle at school,
0:22:00 > 0:22:03I look back at my success and it helps to motivate me.
0:22:17 > 0:22:19Ahmed is feeling the pressure as well.
0:22:19 > 0:22:22He has an important exam in a few days
0:22:22 > 0:22:28and he really needs to talk to his old friend at the camp, Mohammed.
0:22:28 > 0:22:33It's very early in the morning and everybody is sleeping.
0:22:33 > 0:22:36I am so excited, because I am going to the Zaatari refugee camp today
0:22:36 > 0:22:38to see my friend.
0:22:41 > 0:22:44This is the first time Ahmed has been back
0:22:44 > 0:22:47since he left two years ago.
0:22:49 > 0:22:52To leave our friends and our neighbours in the refugee camp,
0:22:52 > 0:22:55it was so hard for us.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58Because, we know, how do we live,
0:22:58 > 0:23:00we are sharing the same history
0:23:00 > 0:23:06and we have the same customs and we have the same traditions.
0:23:06 > 0:23:08It's so difficult for us.
0:23:10 > 0:23:13Ahmed hasn't seen his best friend since he left.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18In my first year in Jordan, at the end, I had lost hope,
0:23:18 > 0:23:20like many peoples, but my friend, Mohammed,
0:23:20 > 0:23:22he brought me back to hope,
0:23:22 > 0:23:27because he told me, "Don't lose your chance.
0:23:27 > 0:23:32"Work hard on yourself and be always what you want to be."
0:23:32 > 0:23:35This part of the camp is where Ahmed used to live.
0:23:35 > 0:23:37He still has relatives here.
0:23:38 > 0:23:40A bit of a surprise.
0:23:40 > 0:23:42OK. One of my cousins,
0:23:42 > 0:23:44he owned this supermarket.
0:23:53 > 0:23:56- Ahmed! - AHMED LAUGHS
0:23:58 > 0:24:00TRANSLATION:
0:24:19 > 0:24:22THEY SPEAK OWN LANGUAGE
0:24:45 > 0:24:47Finally, Ahmed spots Mohammed.
0:24:48 > 0:24:52There is a special person in everyone's life
0:24:52 > 0:24:54and this one in my life is named Mohammed.
0:24:54 > 0:24:58He's my old friend. I had a moment where I'd lose the hope
0:24:58 > 0:25:02and say that the dreams can't be true.
0:25:03 > 0:25:06But he tells me, "No,
0:25:06 > 0:25:09"stand up and fight for your dreams."
0:25:10 > 0:25:12Come on. Let's roll.
0:25:12 > 0:25:13Rock and roll.
0:25:13 > 0:25:15Rock and roll.
0:25:49 > 0:25:54Sometimes, all it takes is kind words from a friend.
0:25:54 > 0:25:56It can make all the difference.
0:25:57 > 0:26:01It has been two years since I was on a bicycle.
0:26:03 > 0:26:04But now,
0:26:04 > 0:26:07I am on a bicycle with my best friend, Mohammed.
0:26:13 > 0:26:19I just saw my old friend and we were sharing our dreams and our thoughts.
0:26:19 > 0:26:21It was good to see him after two years.
0:26:24 > 0:26:29And we just decided the most important decision in our lives.
0:26:29 > 0:26:32We are going to stay together and we are going to study together.
0:26:32 > 0:26:34Maybe a nuclear engineer or a doctor.
0:26:35 > 0:26:37I know that I am only a refugee,
0:26:37 > 0:26:40but we need a chance to get the education
0:26:40 > 0:26:43and to make my dreams come true.
0:26:46 > 0:26:48Thousands of miles away in Germany,
0:26:48 > 0:26:51Ola dreams of being accepted in her new country.
0:26:53 > 0:26:54- TRANSLATION:- It is difficult at school,
0:26:54 > 0:26:56because all my friends are Arabs.
0:26:59 > 0:27:01But we are the ones who have to fit in.
0:27:03 > 0:27:05It's our duty to integrate.
0:27:15 > 0:27:19And Ali just wants a different world for his little brother.
0:27:21 > 0:27:25Majid hasn't seen Syria yet, and this is good.
0:27:25 > 0:27:29If he'd seen it, he would miss it and want to go back.
0:27:29 > 0:27:33And I am sure that when the war ends, we will all go home
0:27:33 > 0:27:35and Majid will see Syria.