After coming across a deeply troubling video depicting the inhumane conditions of displaced persons in Europe, Alan Khaledi – an upcoming senior at Stanford University and an Erbil, Kurdistan native – was both disturbed and inspired to share the narratives of displaced persons (particularly children) across the Middle East and Europe through photographs.
Two million refugees in Kurdistan
Alan’s hometown is about 20 miles away from ISIS-controlled regions in Iraq, where over two million refugees and internally displaced people reside.
Refugee children find “joy in the smallest things”
Alan has spent his summer visiting refugee camps across Kurdistan, along with other camps in the Middle East, snapping photos of refugee children, who in his eyes, have experienced “a thousand tales of horror and suffering,” but who seem to “joy in the smallest things” like a conversation or a game of soccer.
The Kurdish Project will exclusively share these narratives, along with the photos Alan takes during his travels.
Take a look at the photo gallery for some of these remarkable visual stories, and be on the lookout for blog posts from Alan as he shares the narratives of the strong and resilient children who are experiencing displacement.
