A long -awaited dream journey in Syria – the first caravan for the voluntary return from Al -Arisha camp

After more than seven years of displacement, the first caravan for the voluntary return organized by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, carrying 84 people from the displaced to their homes that they could not see for several years.

Shahrazad and her two daughters (7 and 8 years) stand, waiting for the moment they have always dreamed of. Shahrazade says: “I waited for this moment seven years ago, I cannot describe my joy“.

Shahrazade, who fled a military attack on her town in 2017, returns today as her husband, who has just returned from a long treatment trip in Damascus.

Her daughter, who did not know from the homeland except the tent and the spoken memories, were laughing at joy while packing luggage, hiding the house of their parents, which they never knew.

The UNHCR provided comprehensive support for the returnees: free means of transportation, trucks to transport luggage, and “dignity bags” for women and girls. Also organized by mine -risk sessions for children, in light of the excessive mines in the areas of Deir Al -Zour.

Community centers provide legal support to those who have lost their official documents, contribute to the rehabilitation of housing and infrastructure, and the provision of job opportunities.

Trucks loaded with the luggage of the displaced people leave Al -Arisha camp in northeastern Syria.

However, this hope faces a serious threat, as UNHCR suffers from a severe lack of financing. With a plan to assist 3.5 million displaced and refugees in 2025, 30% of the Commission’s staff in Syria were reduced, and 44% of its community centers were closed.

Richard Nadula, UNHCR coordinator, confirms that he “We have a historical opportunity to help the Syrians return in dignity, but we need urgent support.”

It is not just a journey of return, but the beginning of a dream that is re -resurrected in the hearts of thousands of Syrians.