“All We Wanted to Do Was Go Home, But We Had No Home.”

The refugee global crisis has reached an all time high. According to the United Nations statistics, there are now more 66 million people worldwide that are displaced. Among them, 22.5 million are refugees and nearly half are children and teens, under the age of 18. Refugees are people who are forced to flee their country due to war, persecution, or natural disasters. Refugees of all different races and nationalities are now desperate for refuge and dangerous missions, whether embarking on land crossings or through the dangerous and rough seas. Those who are lucky enough to stay alive while escaping their countries have different fates. Some may end up in refugee camps where they may be lucky enough to be relocated quickly, or be turned away from countries where refugees flee, or unfortunately, be sent back to countries to relocate them. Many have a different situation and come from different backgrounds, but they all have a common interest- needing a safe place to live. Unable to live in horrific conditions and desperate for a chance of life, refugees are desperate to find a new and safe place to call home.

UN statistics also shows the demographics of refugees around the world. Of the 66 million refugees, 55% come from three main countries, South Sudan, Syria and Afghanistan. The statistics also unveil a disappointing truth. The top hosting countries of refugees are countries such as Ethiopia, Uganda, Islamic Republic of Iran, Lebanon, Pakistan, and Turkey. Unfortunately, none of the countries with the highest GDP (gross domestic product) in the world are not on the list of top hosting countries. The GDP of a country is measured by the value of goods and services produced by a country. Countries like United States, Japan, Canada, China, Germany, United Kingdom, India, France, Brazil, to only name a few, with the highest GDP’s in the world and have the capabilities of accepting more refugees are not doing their jobs.

The refugee experience is unlike any other. Refugees can be of any age, from infants to toddlers to teenagers to adults or elderly. Among the 66 million refugees, there are 22.5 million that are under 18, or in a different perspective, 34% of the 66 million refugees are children.

My dad was a child refugee. He lived in war torn conditions and feared for his life every day. Being very young he explains the hardships, “I was very young at most eight or nine. My dad had told me that it was life or death. Either we would live together or die together. We ran through the jungle barefoot or with sandals, staying alive by eating snakes and bugs, doing anything we had to do to stay alive.” He says all this, and still manages to keep a smile on his face. It amazes me his ability to continue to smile as he speaks about one of the darkest times and experiences in his life. He continues his story and acknowledges his luck, “I was very lucky to make it out alive with my family. A lot of others were not so lucky.” As he says this, his smile slowly disappears.

Hearing the incredible and yet traumatic survival stories of refugees are life-changing, and unfortunately, we only know the stories of those who are lucky enough to survive, or leave down written accounts of their life. For me, I am very lucky enough to be able to hear my dad’s story but the possibilities of stories are endless.

Imagine being a child, living in a war torn country. Imagine being a senior citizen and you’ve lived a good life, do you risk it and attempt to escape or do you stay in your home that you’ve known your whole life? Imagine only knowing one home, and having it destroyed. Or imagine being a parent attempting to escape your country, and your only choice of escape is escaping in flimsy boats through rough and treacherous waters. You have a choice, both risky. You can stay behind, or you can risk it and send your child onto a boat. Either choice have low survival rates, but refugee parents have chosen the latter. Choosing the latter means you’d rather send your child into the unknown of the seas because you know that it is safer in the water than on land.

How would you react to any of these situations? We are lucky and fortunate enough to not be faced with these decisions and experiences, but somewhere across the Pacific or Atlantic ocean, a parent, child, senior citizen are faced with these life and death decisions.

Being able to survive, and reach a refugee camp is another survival story. Refugee camps are often overcrowded, with poor housing and food rations and with a lack of sanitation. The conditions of refugee camps are an experience shared by refugees all over. Some refugees have considered their stay in these camps as prison sentences. My dad describes his experience, “Waiting in refugee camps was torture. We were so tired of running and waiting to be relocated. All we wanted to do was go home, yet we had no home.” His last sentence makes my heart sink. All refugees want is the ability to go home, but their homes have been destroyed. It is not their home, they do not have a home anymore.

Currently, there are millions of refugees around the world waiting to be resettled. Their lives are on pause, for weeks, months, and even years at a time, while our lives fly by, day by day because we forget somewhere on the other side of the world there are millions of people wishing to have even a chance of our lives.