A Life With No Home: The heartbreaking true reality for millions of Syrian Refugees stuck in limbo

What happens when you have no where to go?

As the tragic Syrian civil war enters its sixth year, hope has become a thing of fantasy for many refugees trapped in a life of limbo.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Since the beginning of the Syrian war more than 4.8 million Syrians have fled their homes. Now, tens of thousands of Syrians who began the search for a better life are still waiting to reach their new destinations years after escaping the escalating violence.

Just outside of Jordan, near Syrian's southern border with the country, around 80,000 Syrian refugees live in what was only supposed to be the temporary resting spot on their way to a new life. Many at the Zaatari refugee camp fear they have entered a "never-ending exile," as their make-shift homes now have street names and addresses and memories of their homeland are fading away.

The residents of Zaatari are encouraged to paint murals of forests and seaside views onto their trailers. Aid workers hope this will boost the moral around the camp. However, for some the bright paintings only serve as painful reminder that they are not home and finding home seems impossible. 

"I live on hope, but hope is far away," expressed Rasha Ali, a 30-year-old kindergarten teacher at the camp. "We tell them, Syria is beautiful, and God willing, you will return."

Ali fled her hometown, Damascus, four years ago with her husband and three children. She patiently awaits the day she can join her husband in Europe. That dream has become her only hope. "Syria has no future," she admitted, according to the Daily Mail.

"From our perspective, the camp will continue being a temporary settlement until the last day of its existence," explained camp director, Hovig Etyemezian, noting the UN refugee agency tries to make the camps as livable as possible. "We are really hopeful that the conflict will end and that the refugees will return. For us, it will be a calamity if the conflict continues for another few years."

According to a recent report by 30 aid agencies, including the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), 2015 was the worst year for the Syrian civil war with a rise in attacks on hospitals and the destruction of homes, and Russia, the United States, Britain and France's efforts may have only made the situations worse.

"This is the kind of schizophrenic situation we are now facing," stated Karl Schembri of the NRC. "We are now at a really important juncture where they (world powers) have shown some sort of commitment to this badly needed cessation of hostilities, and we have to cling to this moment of hope."

"They can't let Syrians down again"

Despite the mention of peace talks, a solution does not appear realistic to anyone actually living through the horror. Syria is expected to require decades to recover from the tragic outcomes of war, and for many of its refugees a decade is not something to look forward to.

---

The California Network is the Next Wave in delivery of information and entertainment on pop culture, social trends, lifestyle, entertainment, news, politics and economics. We are hyper-focused on one audience, YOU, the connected generation. JOIN US AS WE REDEFINE AND REVOLUTIONIZE THE EVER-CHANGING MEDIA LANDSCAPE.