Powerful photos of the lives of young Syrian refugees through their eyes Favorite 

This month marks ten years since the start of the Syrian Civil War, an ongoing conflict that has cruelly cut the lives of hundreds of thousands short, and irrevocably changed the course of millions more. An estimated 5.6 million have fled the country over the past decade, mostly to the neighbouring countries of Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan, with many settling in camps they’ve since to come to call their permanent homes.

The largest of these is Za’atari, a refugee camp in northern Jordan with an estimated population of 80,000. Of that figure, 58% are young people and children below the age of 17 — many of whom were born in the camp — their stories often going unheard amid the barrage of big numbers that are impossible to truly grasp. Through a new photography project, though, The Arsenal Foundation and Save The Children are giving the young residents of Za’atari a voice and an opportunity to share their perspectives with the world.

Spearheaded by 25-year-old Arsenal footballer Héctor Bellerín and photographer Pixie Levinson, it’s an extension of Save The Children’s Coaching For Life programme, an initiative, supported by the North London football club, that supports the physical and mental wellbeing of children whose lives have been touched by conflict through bespoke football sessions. When the onset of the pandemic made IRL kickabouts a no-go, the pair devised the idea to supply the camp’s kids with Instax cameras, encouraging them to document the stories they felt mattered most.