Francesca Maria Lorenzini

Ahmad is originally from Palmyra, Syria. He fled the country during the brutal years of the Syrian civil war and now lives in Azraq refugee camp in northern Jordan.

When the Bashar al-Assad regime finally fell, Ahmad was overwhelmed with emotion – relief, disbelief, even joy. But the moment was bittersweet.

His home in Palmyra no longer exists. His father and brother passed away, leaving Ahmad to step into the role of head of the family at a young age.

In Azraq, he has since started a new family of his own.

He often tells his son and daughter stories of Syria – a place they’ve never seen, but one he hopes they’ll one day visit.

“I don’t want them to think this caravan is our home,” he says. “I tell them, ‘We have a house. We had a neighborhood. We had neighbors.’”

Since the regime’s fall, about 52,000 Syrian refugees have returned from Jordan – just a fraction of the 650,000 officially registered with the United Nations. But for many returnees, home is no longer what it was. Buildings lie in ruins, basic services are scarce, and schools in many areas remain closed.

“My house is gone, I never finished my education – how can I go back?” he concludes.