“Sometimes as humans, it’s really hard to communicate the feelings we have inside and it’s easier to express them in a creative way.”
Héctor Bellerín
Save the Children’s Coaching For Life programme and The Arsenal Foundation have documented the lives of young Syrian refugees living in Za’atari Refugee Camp (Syria) with the power of instax. Fronted by renowned photographer Pixie Levinson and Arsenal soccer player Héctor Bellerín – a passionate photographer – the project saw donated instax SQ1 SQUARE cameras given to Syrian refugee children to tell their own stories through the camera lens to help the children express themselves through the creative medium.
Yara is 17 years old and fled her home in Syria eight years ago: “I felt lost, unsafe and sad leaving my homeland. I have left everything beautiful behind and I miss my friends and family. The most difficult thing about living in Za’atari is feeling alienated, but football and photography have helped me feel less alone. Coaching for Life has taught me patience and teamwork. I love making decisions as a team – we are one soul. Also, the photography project has allowed me to express myself – the photograph I took of the flower represents my hope for the future, because every time the flower falls it springs up again. One day, I hope to become a journalist to show people the authentic stories behind the news.”
At the end of the project, Héctor and Pixie curated a collection of their favourite instax prints, like Yara’s, to mark ten years since the war in Syria began on 15th March 2011.
To find out more about this life-changing programme and help build a better future for children, visit https://stories.savethechildren.org.uk/coaching-for-life/