Disabled and Displaced

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0:00:05 > 0:00:07It's one of the greatest humanitarian disasters

0:00:07 > 0:00:10of our generation.

0:00:10 > 0:00:13A conflict that has not only torn apart families,

0:00:13 > 0:00:18but an entire country.

0:00:18 > 0:00:23Around 11 million Syrians have been forced to leave their homes.

0:00:23 > 0:00:25Many have fled to neighbouring countries to escape

0:00:25 > 0:00:29the ongoing violence.

0:00:29 > 0:00:33I'm Nikki Fox, and I'm in Jordan, a country that admits it is unable to

0:00:33 > 0:00:39support the estimated 1.4 million refugees it has already taken in.

0:00:39 > 0:00:41At the moment, I just think about walking again,

0:00:42 > 0:00:44and everything will come with that.

0:00:44 > 0:00:46Just take it one step...?

0:00:46 > 0:00:49Yeah, step-by-step.

0:00:49 > 0:00:52If we are really looking to respond in a comprehensive way,

0:00:52 > 0:00:55you're not talking about millions of dollars of financial support,

0:00:55 > 0:01:07but billions of dollars of support.

0:01:07 > 0:01:10With a third having a disability or a serious health

0:01:10 > 0:01:13condition, I'm here to find out how the most vulnerable survive.

0:01:13 > 0:01:15This is their story.

0:01:29 > 0:01:32The first place we visit is Zaatari refugee camp,

0:01:32 > 0:01:38a city in the middle of a desert.

0:01:38 > 0:01:43This place has grown exponentially since the start of the conflict.

0:01:43 > 0:01:46Only a few miles from the Syrian border, it is where more than 80,000

0:01:46 > 0:01:55refugees have sought safety.

0:01:56 > 0:02:00With its barbed wire fences and rows of white boxes, it is unlike

0:02:00 > 0:02:03any city I've ever seen before.

0:02:08 > 0:02:12The first person I meet is a little girl who has only ever

0:02:12 > 0:02:16known conflict.

0:02:16 > 0:02:19Five-year-old Malik lost her left leg when her home

0:02:19 > 0:02:21in Syria was bombed.

0:02:21 > 0:02:26She's learning to walk with her new frame.

0:02:26 > 0:02:29Her mum tells me about the day the tanks came.

0:02:39 > 0:02:43Malik often forgets she's in pain.

0:02:43 > 0:02:47But here, she is safe.

0:02:47 > 0:02:51Bye! Bye!

0:02:51 > 0:02:54How difficult is it for you as a mum?

0:02:54 > 0:02:58She didn't want to show her face, to protect her family still in Syria.

0:03:16 > 0:03:17What do you hope for the future?

0:03:28 > 0:03:33Malik's mother can't afford to dream of going back to Syria.

0:03:33 > 0:03:37She has more immediate concerns.

0:03:37 > 0:03:42Living here with a disability is tough.

0:03:44 > 0:03:46Apart from the fact you are away from

0:03:46 > 0:03:51your home and everything you know - your family, familiarity - living

0:03:51 > 0:03:57with a disability is tricky getting around, logistically difficult.

0:03:57 > 0:04:00I can imagine a lot of disabled people do feel

0:04:00 > 0:04:03a bit trapped in their own spaces, in their own places.

0:04:03 > 0:04:06They just can't get out.

0:04:10 > 0:04:15One charity that helps people like Malik is Handicap International.

0:04:15 > 0:04:18They estimate that around 30% of refugees in the camp have some

0:04:18 > 0:04:27kind of disability or chronic health condition.

0:04:27 > 0:04:33Every day, dozens of disabled refugees come for vital treatment.

0:04:33 > 0:04:36You are pushing me!

0:04:36 > 0:04:38You're so strong.

0:04:38 > 0:04:43One of those is 28-year-old Ragda, who has cerebral palsy.

0:04:43 > 0:04:49Unlike Malik, living in Zaatari has given her a new-found independence.

0:04:50 > 0:04:53Hello!

0:04:53 > 0:04:55This could be a bit of a bumpy arrival.

0:04:55 > 0:04:57Bear with me, bear with me.

0:04:57 > 0:05:00She fled Syria three years ago.

0:05:00 > 0:05:03The only way she could do it was by being carried across the border.

0:05:04 > 0:05:06Lovely to meet you!

0:05:06 > 0:05:08How did you do it without a wheelchair, Ragda?

0:05:22 > 0:05:28Ragda's disability made her life back home difficult.

0:05:28 > 0:05:32She had no wheelchair and very little support.

0:05:32 > 0:05:38And that was before the war.

0:05:45 > 0:05:49Do you hope to one day go back home?

0:05:49 > 0:05:49No?

0:05:50 > 0:05:52Why not?

0:05:56 > 0:05:57Why?

0:06:09 > 0:06:10OK!

0:06:10 > 0:06:13THEY LAUGH

0:06:14 > 0:06:17It is only since arriving in Zaatari that Ragda started to get regular

0:06:17 > 0:06:20physiotherapy to help with her cerebral palsy, but what has really

0:06:20 > 0:06:24made a difference to her life is the fact she now has a wheelchair

0:06:24 > 0:06:29from Handicap International.

0:06:29 > 0:06:32Ragda's parents died back in Syria.

0:06:32 > 0:06:35She is now completely dependent on the charity.

0:06:37 > 0:06:40Do you feel looked after here?

0:06:47 > 0:06:51That is definitely perfect.

0:06:51 > 0:06:54Ragda, it has been a pleasure meeting you, because I

0:06:54 > 0:06:57can't imagine how you get around.

0:06:57 > 0:07:01But you are what we call in the UK a 'tough cookie'.

0:07:01 > 0:07:04That is what you are, a tough cookie.

0:07:04 > 0:07:07# Don't be shy

0:07:07 > 0:07:11# Just let your feelings roll on by #.

0:07:11 > 0:07:13Even with a new-found sense of freedom, she said having

0:07:13 > 0:07:18something like my scooter would make a huge difference to her life.

0:07:18 > 0:07:21They all want my scooter.

0:07:26 > 0:07:29LAUGHTER

0:07:29 > 0:07:34Go around in a circle!

0:07:37 > 0:07:40The children have been fascinated by my scooter.

0:07:40 > 0:07:43I don't think anyone has seen a mobility scooter before,

0:07:43 > 0:07:46not one that looks like this anyway.

0:07:50 > 0:07:54I have had kids running behind me in total fascination.

0:07:54 > 0:07:57I don't think they have anything here that is motorised.

0:07:57 > 0:08:02No electric wheelchairs, no mobility scooters.

0:08:02 > 0:08:05The only mobility they have is maybe a walking frame

0:08:05 > 0:08:07or a manual wheelchair.

0:08:13 > 0:08:16The difficulties I saw in Zaatari are very much mirrored here

0:08:16 > 0:08:23in Jordan's newest camp, Azraq.

0:08:23 > 0:08:28Built simply because there is no more room in Zaatari.

0:08:28 > 0:08:30This place is even harder to get around

0:08:30 > 0:08:34because of the sheer size of it.

0:08:36 > 0:08:39Home to more than 20,000 refugees, but with space for five times that

0:08:39 > 0:08:44amount, the camp feels desolate.

0:08:47 > 0:08:50In between rows upon rows of metal roofs,

0:08:50 > 0:08:56large ditches line the long dusty roads.

0:08:56 > 0:08:58Eventually we came across the only supermarket on

0:08:58 > 0:09:02the camp, but it took us some time.

0:09:02 > 0:09:04We had a van.

0:09:04 > 0:09:07The majority here don't have that luxury.

0:09:07 > 0:09:14Which is sad, because shopping is just that little bit of normality.

0:09:14 > 0:09:17If you live far away and have a disability, it would be

0:09:17 > 0:09:18really difficult if not impossible.

0:09:18 > 0:09:23There is a car, but you have to pay for it.

0:09:23 > 0:09:26If you don't have money, that could be very tricky.

0:09:26 > 0:09:29This place is the future for the many thousands stuck

0:09:29 > 0:09:33at the Jordanian border desperate to get in.

0:09:33 > 0:09:36The UNHCR says they are just about managing to provide the very

0:09:36 > 0:09:40basics, but they admit it is impossible to meet the needs of the

0:09:40 > 0:09:49hundreds of thousands of disabled refugees already living in Jordan.

0:09:49 > 0:09:53If we are really looking to respond in a comprehensive way to the needs

0:09:53 > 0:09:59of Syrians, this has to go a step above what has already been done.

0:09:59 > 0:10:01You are not talking about millions of dollars of financial support,

0:10:01 > 0:10:05you are talking about billions of dollars of financial support.

0:10:05 > 0:10:09All in all, the services we provide in the camp are geared

0:10:09 > 0:10:13primarily to covering basic needs.

0:10:13 > 0:10:16So often these nuanced issues are quite a challenge to respond to

0:10:16 > 0:10:22as fully as we would like to.

0:10:22 > 0:10:24I'm always surprised at the resilience and drive

0:10:24 > 0:10:25and determination of the Syrians themselves

0:10:26 > 0:10:29to respond to their own needs.

0:10:31 > 0:10:35But this resilience is tested even further.

0:10:35 > 0:10:4080% of all of the refugees in Jordan don't live in these camps.

0:10:40 > 0:10:43They try and survive in and around the main cities,

0:10:43 > 0:10:48often hidden and in poverty.

0:11:00 > 0:11:04After seeing the struggles disabled refugees have around two of Jordan's

0:11:04 > 0:11:10main camps, I'm back in the van heading to the capital city, Amman.

0:11:10 > 0:11:18A city which has for many years been the home for the displaced.

0:11:18 > 0:11:21This area is known as the Palestinian camp,

0:11:21 > 0:11:25and dates back decades.

0:11:25 > 0:11:27But more and more Syrians are living here.

0:11:27 > 0:11:28Why?

0:11:28 > 0:11:30Because it's cheap.

0:11:30 > 0:11:33In fact, the higher the floor of an apartment building,

0:11:33 > 0:11:35the less it costs, which makes it very impractical

0:11:35 > 0:11:38if you've got a disability.

0:11:39 > 0:11:42The charity Handicap International doesn't just support

0:11:42 > 0:11:46disabled refugees in the camps, they also have a number of mobile teams

0:11:46 > 0:11:49that go to help those who are isolated.

0:11:49 > 0:11:52We have many cases here.

0:11:52 > 0:11:55They have really a problem in mobility.

0:11:55 > 0:11:58Many with spinal cord injuries, many with traumatic brain injuries.

0:11:58 > 0:12:02They cannot go down the stairs.

0:12:02 > 0:12:07You can see from here the stairs are really crazy.

0:12:07 > 0:12:09Yeah, they're mad, aren't they?

0:12:12 > 0:12:18Many of the refugees they see live in high-rise apartment blocks.

0:12:18 > 0:12:22This man and his brother left Syria not long after the start

0:12:22 > 0:12:24of the conflict.

0:12:24 > 0:12:27They were successful factory owners back home, so providing for

0:12:27 > 0:12:30their children wasn't a problem.

0:12:30 > 0:12:35He was a hard-working and generous man.

0:12:35 > 0:12:38But the pressure he was under, being forced to leave

0:12:38 > 0:12:42his country and the loss of his business, were all too much.

0:12:42 > 0:12:49His brother says this contributed to him having a stroke.

0:12:49 > 0:12:51The family live on the third floor.

0:12:51 > 0:12:55It is all they can afford.

0:12:55 > 0:13:01The only way he can leave his home is if his brother carries him.

0:13:03 > 0:13:06They have received some financial support from various charities,

0:13:06 > 0:13:10like paying for the initial treatment, but now what

0:13:10 > 0:13:15little they have goes towards paying for his ongoing medical bills.

0:13:32 > 0:13:35While his physical health is slowly improving, his family

0:13:35 > 0:13:39remain trapped in an unsuitable home with very little income.

0:13:58 > 0:14:02That particular area that we were in is the only area that they can

0:14:02 > 0:14:03live in because of the price.

0:14:03 > 0:14:07They don't have any money, their medical bills are huge,

0:14:07 > 0:14:09there's nothing...

0:14:09 > 0:14:12..there's no other solution, really.

0:14:12 > 0:14:14If you're being quite basic about it,

0:14:14 > 0:14:17there's just no way near enough money.

0:14:17 > 0:14:22Jordan are coping with a huge influx of refugees and 30% of them

0:14:22 > 0:14:26have disabilities or a chronic health condition.

0:14:26 > 0:14:32And there just is a massive funding shortfall.

0:14:32 > 0:14:36Since 2014, Syrian refugees are no longer eligible for free

0:14:36 > 0:14:40secondary healthcare, that so many with disabilities rely on.

0:14:40 > 0:14:43That's prosthetics or, in this case,

0:14:43 > 0:14:50physiotherapy and ongoing medication.

0:14:50 > 0:14:54There are an estimated 1.4 million refugees now living in Jordan.

0:14:55 > 0:14:5925% of this country's budget is spent on them.

0:14:59 > 0:15:03With a huge funding shortfall from the international community, I asked

0:15:03 > 0:15:07the government if this meant the most vulnerable are being forgotten.

0:15:07 > 0:15:11We are very hospitable people, but at the end of the day there

0:15:11 > 0:15:16will come a time when you need to look at the interests of Jordanians

0:15:16 > 0:15:19vis-a-vis the interests of non-Jordanians

0:15:19 > 0:15:23who are living in Jordan.

0:15:23 > 0:15:26As a country, as the government, our priority,

0:15:26 > 0:15:40as His Majesty has said, is serving the Jordanian people.

0:15:40 > 0:15:43So with the government admitting it is overstretched and underfunded,

0:15:43 > 0:15:47how do disabled refugees get the treatment they need?

0:15:47 > 0:16:01Well, it's down to charities like Medecins Sans Frontieres to step in.

0:16:01 > 0:16:04This is the hospital many injured Syrians come to

0:16:04 > 0:16:05for that vital after-care.

0:16:05 > 0:16:07They've had their life-saving surgery and here is where they

0:16:07 > 0:16:18begin the long recovery process.

0:16:18 > 0:16:24I was in my home, suddenly the wall exploded.

0:16:24 > 0:16:29And I find both legs injured.

0:16:29 > 0:16:34And they immediately brought me here.

0:16:34 > 0:16:44And I woke up here after a few days.

0:16:44 > 0:16:50This man's been receiving intensive treatment for nearly a year now.

0:16:50 > 0:16:52It is hard.

0:16:52 > 0:16:54Sometimes exhausting, but it is getting easier every day.

0:16:54 > 0:17:01So I think in the next three months it will be too easy.

0:17:01 > 0:17:02It will be so easy!

0:17:02 > 0:17:04You don't even need to turn up!

0:17:04 > 0:17:07I will get rid of him, my physio.

0:17:07 > 0:17:11He's a goner!

0:17:11 > 0:17:14Before he was injured in the war he was a training lawyer

0:17:15 > 0:17:17and a pretty decent footballer.

0:17:17 > 0:17:20Here, at the hospital, he has been exercising hard.

0:17:20 > 0:17:23Almost every day.

0:17:23 > 0:17:25Have you got some music you listen to?

0:17:25 > 0:17:25Music?

0:17:25 > 0:17:27Yeah, do you listen to music?

0:17:27 > 0:17:28No.

0:17:28 > 0:17:30I play Clash of Clans.

0:17:30 > 0:17:30What's that?

0:17:31 > 0:17:32It's a game!

0:17:32 > 0:17:33Never played it.

0:17:33 > 0:17:34Candy Crush?

0:17:34 > 0:17:36Oh, Candy Crush.

0:17:36 > 0:17:39Everyone knows Candy Crush.

0:17:39 > 0:17:45It's entertaining.

0:17:45 > 0:17:47What's your aim for the future?

0:17:47 > 0:17:54I think go back to my home.

0:17:55 > 0:17:56Just that.

0:17:56 > 0:17:57Do you have family still?

0:17:57 > 0:17:59Yes, all my family in Syria.

0:17:59 > 0:18:00They are waiting for me.

0:18:00 > 0:18:01Are they?

0:18:01 > 0:18:06Yes. I will go back.

0:18:06 > 0:18:09When I start walk I will go back immediately.

0:18:09 > 0:18:10Really? Yes.

0:18:10 > 0:18:12That's what keeps you going?

0:18:12 > 0:18:19Yes. Yes.

0:18:19 > 0:18:23While he sees his future back home in Syria, right now this

0:18:23 > 0:18:26hospital is where he needs to be.

0:18:26 > 0:18:28But soon he will have to move on.

0:18:28 > 0:18:34So where will he go if he can't get back home?

0:18:34 > 0:18:38There are many disabled refugees who end up on the streets of Jordan's

0:18:38 > 0:18:43capital city.

0:18:43 > 0:18:51This centre was set up to find and take care of those people.

0:18:51 > 0:18:56Many of them will have arrived in Jordan without family or friends.

0:18:56 > 0:19:14Here, they're no longer alone.

0:19:14 > 0:19:17A home by definition is somewhere you live with people who love you

0:19:17 > 0:19:21and you love them back and this is what everybody here feels.

0:19:21 > 0:19:24Us, the staff, and patients.

0:19:24 > 0:19:27They visit hospitals and search the surrounding areas

0:19:27 > 0:19:32for those refugees who are at their lowest and have nowhere to go.

0:19:32 > 0:19:36If this place is not existing, I think you would end up alone,

0:19:37 > 0:19:43neglected, on a mattress in some corner in a dark, empty room.

0:19:43 > 0:19:47I don't want to imagine.

0:19:47 > 0:19:51I love it when I spend my time here.

0:19:51 > 0:19:55Making fun of them, they making fun of me.

0:19:55 > 0:19:56They love you?

0:19:56 > 0:20:04I love them so much.

0:20:07 > 0:20:09We are back on the road again.

0:20:09 > 0:20:14Heading for Irbid, a city which is 20 kilometres

0:20:14 > 0:20:17from the Syrian border.

0:20:17 > 0:20:20It's our last day and we are off to visit another centre

0:20:20 > 0:20:25for disabled refugees.

0:20:25 > 0:20:27Unlike the last place there's no physio or

0:20:27 > 0:20:31specialist rehabilitation here.

0:20:31 > 0:20:35Instead these young men with injuries from war

0:20:35 > 0:20:38meet every week to talk about how they see their future as

0:20:38 > 0:20:44disabled refugees living in Jordan.

0:20:51 > 0:20:55Their lives have been changed forever, but they are resilient.

0:20:55 > 0:20:57They don't want sympathy.

0:20:57 > 0:21:02Guys, what's your message to other disabled people?

0:21:33 > 0:21:37One, two, three, go!

0:21:37 > 0:21:45Despite their situation, these young men won't be beaten.

0:21:45 > 0:21:48But I can't help thinking about their future

0:21:48 > 0:21:53and the future of those I've met.

0:21:53 > 0:21:59All of these people have very different stories.

0:21:59 > 0:22:02But they all share one thing.

0:22:02 > 0:22:11A total reliance on charities to survive.

0:22:11 > 0:22:13And with too many people and not enough money,

0:22:13 > 0:22:23what does their future hold?

0:22:23 > 0:22:27I've asked the question a lot, where do you see yourself in five years

0:22:27 > 0:22:29time, and many people are just...

0:22:29 > 0:22:31They can't really say.

0:22:31 > 0:22:33It's getting by every day, that's what's important.

0:22:33 > 0:22:39That's what they have to do and that's the only thing they can do.

0:23:12 > 0:23:15After the fairly windy spell of weather that many saw over

0:23:15 > 0:23:17the festive period, things are turning colder

0:23:17 > 0:23:19and much quieter too.

0:23:19 > 0:23:21Here's the scene in Highland Scotland on Monday,