Abdel Majid is a tall thin man, with bright eyes and a friendly smile. He and his family came to Azraq camp, Jordan, in May 2014, fleeing from the Syrian conflict in Damascus. They have been married for 14 years and have two children, 5 and 8 years old who live in the camp with them, along with Amina’s mother and brother.   

Abdel Majid works as volunteer with IOM in Azraq Camp through he earns a small amount of income. He assists new arrivals and welcome refugees with tea and fresh water. Thanks to the funds of DFID, IOM have been able to transport over 43,000 refugees to Azraq camp. 

Abdel and his family were one of the first to arrive to Azraq camp. Abdel Majid remembers that life was difficult at the beginning, but now houses have been improved, and maybe soon they will get electricity. “In general, life is easier now, but still is difficult to live here without a job. Prices in the supermarket are higher than in Syria”.   

In the beginning of 2012, the Syrian war broke out in their home town, so they started a journey that lasted for almost two years and took them from Damascus to the Southern regions of Deraa and Swaida and from there to their final destination in Jordan. “The mass arrests and the airstrikes pushed us to move from one area to another”. 

Abdel Majid is a plumber by profession and he used to work in Damascus before the war started; his wife is a primary school teacher and she teaches Maths, Arabic and French in Azraq’s school to refugee children. Azraq is just a temporary home for all of them, as it is for Abdel Majid and his family; they just hope that Syria returns to the situation as before and they can go back. 

For security reasons, names have been changed.