His frightened eyes make me a strong impression. Syrian, 18 years old, blonde. He does not seem to be made to withstand the harshness of the refugee. And he could not bear it… We met him in the garden of the psychiatric hospital. For a while he ignored us, he does not look at us… Slowly he gets discouraged, he starts speaking, first in Arabic then he says some words in English… He had three months to communicate! I left with the feeling that I had accomplished something important that day.

My mind is haunted by paraplegic children. Their voice is quiet, their contact with the outside world is non-existent, and their preoccupation with something creative is absent. The family is often supportive, but isolated. The refugee has exhausted them and support is necessary. When the day is over and I am alone, I wonder how they can endure all this misery.