Refocus project, Syria
60 years in exile... The voice of third generation Palestinian refugees.
This year marks the 60th anniversary of the Al Nakba; the Palestinian catastrophe. In 1948 approximately 750,000 Palestinians were driven out of their homes by Zionist forces seeking to establish a Jewish state in Palestine. For sixty years, the Palestinians have lived under occupation or as stateless exiles. For those living in exile, their fate has been mixed.
In the summer of 1948, about 70,000 Palestinians fled to Syria. In the following decades, they have been joined by others driven out of Lebanon, Jordan and more recently, Iraq. There are now over 420,000 Palestinians living in Syria, comprising approximately 3 percent of the total population.
In Syria, Palestinians have full access to govern mental services, including employment and social services. However, they are not granted Syrian citizenship in order to preserve their original identity and their Right of Return to Palestine.
Despite all these rights, many Palestinians in Syria live in poverty. In most of the camps, the shelters are very basic and require structural rehabilitation. This project presents the voice of the now Third Generation of Palestinians born in exile, highlights the ever-present need for their return to their homeland. 
Over 3 months Refocus project worked in 3 camps with 33 adolescents. During this time the participants used digital cameras as a tool to communicate to an international audience. They were taught basic technical skills and were encouraged to be creative and to transfer their opinions into images. Their images documented life in the camp, their hopes for the future and their opinions of their world today.
"People think that photography is easy, they think it's random but they are wrong, you have to think about what you want to photograph, you have to focus your mind. Now I believe that my camera should always be with me.”
Khaled Khalili, 12, Photography participant, Yarmouk camp
To find out more information on this project please go to: www.refocusproject.com or contact refocusproject@gmail.com