Karim - the story of a refugee

Today I heard a story about Karim. His father was jailed, tortured and killed. Karim, together with his mother and four sisters was forced to flee his country, Syria, across the border into Lebanon, hopefully to safety. At the age of 13, he was the head of his family and had to go out to earn a living. For the past two years they have lived in a tented camp. Karim goes to work at a place where he is abused mentally, emotionally, physically and, often, sexually. He is grateful that it is him, and not one of his sisters. At least, he earns enough for food. 

Karim is only one of thousands of refugees. It may be five or ten years before he can go back to his country. By then he may have become a drug addict or a gun-runner. Certainly, he would have lost the opportunity to go to school and, probably the chance to make a worthwhile contribution to his country.

For a short while I had the opportunity to walk a few steps in the shoes of a refugee like Karim. I was herded and pushed around, shouted at and threatened, forced to give up what little I had with me in order to get food. I felt out of control, helpless and frightened. I wanted to curl up in the back of the tent and hoped that when I stuck my head out again, everything would have returned to normal. But when I lifted my head, bright lights were shining in my face and I was being shoved somewhere else. 

For me, this was only a simulation. For millions of people this is a reality that has stretched into years and in some cases, a lifetime. Crossroads Foundation  connects people in need with those who can help them. Through the Refugee Run they are presenting at the World Economic Forum, they gave me the opportunity to deepen my awareness and understanding and to make concrete the images from the newspaper and television. One tiny way that I can help is to spread the word.