A Damascus Refugee Story:

Aamir lived with his family in Damascus. The war became worse and they couldn’t leave their houses because of the endless gunfire.

 

They had been staying in their house for several days because they were scared.

He didn’t know the accurate number of days but after this time, they had nothing to eat.

 

After days boarded up in their house, Aamir, the father of the family, went out to get milk and diapers for his daughter.

He was stopped by the Freedom Army and they tried to recruit him.

He refused, which definitely meant death if he was stopped again in the future.

The last few words from them were: ‘The next time we see you, either you take your gun and stand beside us or you find someone to take your body.’

 

Aamir panicked, so he decided to take his family and their belongings and travel to Lebanon.

In Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, they got visas to come to Thailand.

First it was hard for the family because they had no financial support and it was difficult to find work.

 

But now Aamir and his family are very happy in their new home because they are finally safe and are able to have a future.

 

 

 

Speaking activity:

 

Find a partner. One of you is against refugees coming to your country and the other one supports them.

Try to persuade the one who is against refugees. This text helps you to find statements.