ANIKKE: REFUGEES FLEE THEIR COUNTRIES FOR MANY REASONS.

VIOLENCE, ABUSE, HEALTH CONCERNS, OR THE CONTINUOUS CYCLE OF POVERTY.

BUT MANY PEOPLE OUTSIDE OF THE SITUATION DON'T UNDERSTAND THE DIFFICULTY OF LIFE IN REFUGEE CAMPS AND WHAT IT'S LIKE TO LIVE A LIFE IN LIMBO.

IN OUR FIRST STORY, WE MEET WRITER INUA ELLAMS, WHO DRAWS FROM THE EXPERIENCES OF REFUGEES TO CREATE STORIES THAT EXPLORE THE STRUGGLES OF CHILDREN FLEEING THEIR HOMES AND SEEKING SAFETY IN BRITAIN.

INUA: ZENABESH LOVED THE CAMP IN GHAR ADEF.

YEARS FROM NOW, IN THE LONELINESS OF ENGLISH STREETS, SHE WILL MISS ITS COMMUNITY, THE TOGETHERNESS OF SUFFERING, HOW, EVEN WHEN THE POLICE AND THIEVES RETURNED THE WOMEN THEY'D KIDNAPPED, BROUGHT THEM BACK BLEEDING, SWOLLEN, A RAG BETWEEN THEIR THIGHS, THE CAMP WOULD HEAL HER AND REVENGE TOGETHER.

THE NIGHT ZENABESH WAS ALMOST TAKEN, SHE FOUND THE BOYS AND HANDED OVER HER SAVINGS.

THREE MUSKETEERS, SHE SAID.

ABBAS ASKED WHY SHE LEFT ERITREA, THOUGH HE KNEW THE REASON.

IT WAS THE SAME FOR SO MANY.

FAITH."

INUA: I SORT OF SAW MYSELF A LITTLE IN THEIR STORIES BECAUSE I LEFT NIGERIA WHEN I WAS A KID.

AND MY FATHER WAS A MUSLIM WHEN HE MARRIED MY MOTHER, WHO IS A CHRISTIAN, AND WE LIVED IN NORTHERN NIGERIA.

AND THE NORTH HAS BEEN MORE OR LESS OVERRUN BY THE BOKO HARAM FORCES.

WE KNEW WHAT WAS COMING, AND IT HAD BEGUN TO AFFECT US IN VERY PHYSICAL AND PERSONAL WAYS, SO WE HAD TO LEAVE.

"ABBAS HAD ORGANIZED EVERYTHING.

HE WAS A YEAR OLDER THAN ZENABESH, BUT STREETS, DECADES SMARTER.

HE PLANNED THEIR ESCAPE FROM THE CAMP, PROMISING NO MORE QUEUES FOR FOOD, NO MORE DIRTY TENTS, NO MORE BATHING IN THE RIVER, NO MORE DIARRHEA-RIDDEN FOOD.

COME WITH ME, WE'LL CROSS THE DESERT TOGETHER, US AGAINST THE WORLD."

THERE ARE MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT THE INTENTIONS OF MIGRANTS AND IMMIGRANTS, REFUGEES.

FROM THIS PIECE OF WORK, I'D LIKE PEOPLE JUST TO GET A SENSE OF WHAT IT IS TO MAKE THESE JOURNEYS AND WHAT IT IS YOUNG PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO ESCAPE OR THEY'RE TRYING TO GET.

WHICH ARE THE MOST BASIC THINGS LIKE, YOU KNOW, A LIFE.

"ABBAS, WHO HAD FOUND THE DRIVER WITH THE BEST REPUTATION WHO GATHERED THESE PROVISIONS FOR THE MONTH-LONG CROSSING, ROLLED OFF ANOTHER LIST.

'RULES FOR SURVIVAL,' HE WHISPERED, AS THEY BOARDED THE TRUCK.

1: PEOPLE GO MAD IN THE DESERT.

TRUST NO ONE.

2: 88 PEOPLE TO EACH JUMBO TRUCK.

3: MOST WILL SIT ON TOP OF THE ROOF.

4: IF YOU FALL ASLEEP, YOU WILL FALL.

DON'T SLEEP.

5: IF YOU ARE IN THE MIDDLE, YOU WILL FIGHT OTHER PASSENGERS.

6: ALL DRIVERS ARE VAGABONDS WITH GUNS.

THEY TAKE THE WOMEN AND DO WHAT THEY WANT.

7: THE BEST SEAT IS ON THE OUTSIDE, BY THE DRIVER'S WINDOW.

8: THE JOURNEY WILL FEEL LIKE AN INCREDIBLE FILM, BUT IF YOU DIE, YOU WON'T COME BACK."

WHAT SURPRISED ME WAS THINKING THAT, YOU KNOW, I HAVE A DECENT GRASP ON THE WORLD.

AS AN IMMIGRANT AS WELL, UM, I GUESS I ASSUMED THAT I KNEW THINGS, AND KNOWING ESPECIALLY ABOUT THAT JOURNEY, AND JUST KNOWING THAT I KNEW NOTHING AT ALL, WHICH IS HOW INFINITELY MORE COMPLEX AND DANGEROUS THE JOURNEY IS.

AND I STILL DON'T FEEL LIKE I WROTE IT.

I JUST EDITED WHAT THEY TOLD ME.

"'THEY CALL IT THE BLUE DESERT, YOU KNOW,' DANI SAID, SITTING DOWN HEAVILY, WAKING ZENABESH UP.

'ANOTHER DESERT,' SHE SHOUTED, OVER THE BOAT ENGINE.

'IT IS JUST AS HOT, NOTHING GROWS, AND IT'S ENDLESS.

'HOW LONG LEFT?'

'62 HOURS,' DANI REPLIED.'

'WE'VE ONLY BEEN SAILING FOR 10?'

DANI SHRUGGED AS ZENABESH TURNED TO FIND THE LIBYAN SHORE NOW A BARELY VISIBLE STRIP IN THE DISTANCE.

OF THE 430 PEOPLE CRAMMED ONTO THE INFLATABLE BOAT, A STERN-LOOKING SENEGALESE MAN, THE UNOFFICIAL CAPTAIN, BARKED AT HER--'LOOK FOR OIL.

LOOK FOR THE OIL RIG.

WE'RE NOT GOING BACK TO LIBYA.

DON'T LOOK BACK.'"

A FRIEND OF MINE ONCE WROTE THAT "NO ONE LEAVES HOME UNLESS HOME IS THE MOUTH OF A SHARK."

AND THERE ARE LOTS OF SHARKS OUT THERE, WHICH WE ARE GUARDED FROM IN THIS COUNTRY, FORTUNATELY.

UNFORTUNATELY, THAT SENSE OF PRIVILEGE SOMETIMES SWALLOWS OR NUMBS OUR POTENTIAL TO BE NEIGHBORS TO OUR NEIGHBORS.

AND I THINK READING THE THING THAT I WROTE CAN JUST BREAK THOSE WALLS DOWN A LITTLE BIT.

ANIKKE: RAPED, ENSLAVED, AND CHASED OUT OF THEIR HOMELAND IN BURMA, THE ROHINGYA PEOPLE ARE ONE OF THE MOST PERSECUTED MINORITY COMMUNITIES IN THE WORLD.

THEY HAVE BEEN REJECTED BY BANGLADESH, AND NOW A SMALL GROUP CLINGS TOGETHER IN A PATCH OF WASTELAND IN DELHI, SEARCHING FOR A PERMANENT PLACE TO CALL HOME.

[KOHINOOR SPEAKING ROHINGYA LANGUAGE] [BABY CRYING] [CHILDREN CHATTERING] ANIKKE: RESOURCES ARE SCARCE AT ALL REFUGEE CAMPS, BUT SOME LOCATIONS OFFER JUST ENOUGH SUPPORT AND SAFETY TO GIVE PEOPLE A GLIMMER OF HOPE.

WHEN THE ISLAMIC STATE DROVE THE YAZIDI PEOPLE OUT OF THEIR HOMETOWNS IN IRAQ, THE PEOPLE OF KURDISTAN WELCOMED THEM WITH FOOD, WATER, AND TEMPORARY CAMPS.

NOW THEY WAIT AND HOPE FOR LIBERATION.

[INDISTINCT CHATTER] [SHAMMO SPEAKING KURMANJI KURDISH] [TEACHER SPEAKING] [SCATTERED APPLAUSE] [SHAMMO SPEAKING] [MAN ON RIGHT SPEAKING] [SHAMMO SPEAKING] ANIKKE: FLEEING ONE COUNTRY TO SURVIVE AND FACING REJECTION IN ANOTHER IS AN UNSETTLING EXPERIENCE.

IN A REFUGEE CAMP AT THE GREEK-MACEDONIAN BORDER, REFUGEES ARE TRYING TO CONVINCE THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY THAT GOING BACK TO THEIR HOME COUNTRIES IS A SUICIDE MISSION AND THEY NEED TO FIND OTHER OPTIONS.

[WIND BLOWING] [RAZAN SPEAKING ARABIC] [FADI SPEAKING ARABIC] IQBAL: I JUST SAW LOTS OF THE YOUNGER PEOPLE LIKE ME, THEY WERE STUDENTS, THEY WERE IN POLICE, THEY WERE IN ARMY, THEY WERE TRANSLATORS, THEY WERE IN MEDICAL FIELDS.

THEY JUST KILLED.

THEY WERE BEHEADED.

AND NOT EVEN IN AFGHANISTAN, SYRIA, AND IRAQ.

IF I GOT BACK, I'M DOING A SUICIDE VISIT.

I BELIEVE THE FOREIGN AGENTS, THEY ARE MAKING PROBLEMS IN OUR COUNTRY.

WE ARE NOT MAKING OUR PROBLEM IN OUR OWN COUNTRY.

PLEASE STOP PROVIDING THEM WEAPONS, PLEASE STOP PROVIDING THEM MONEY, EVERYTHING.

FROM SINCE 40 YEARS THEY ARE DOING MISTAKES.

FIRST THE RUSSIAN CAME TO OUR COUNTRY, THEN THE BRITISH, AND THEN THE AMERICAN, THEN NATO.

THEY ALL ARE INVOLVED TO OUR COUNTRY.

BUT THEY SAID WE ARE DEFENDING YOUR COUNTRY.

I DON'T THINK SO THEY ARE DEFENDING OUR COUNTRY.

THEY ARE DESTROYING OUR COUNTRY.

[GHALEB SPEAKING ARABIC] ANIKKE: OVER 10 MILLION PEOPLE HAVE BEEN FORCED OUT OF THEIR HOMES SINCE THE SYRIAN CONFLICT BEGAN IN 2011.

BUT LESS THAN 150,000 OF THESE REFUGEES HAVE BEEN GRANTED ASYLUM IN EUROPE.

LIKE RAED, MILLIONS OF SYRIAN REFUGEES OFTEN FIND THEMSELVES IN OVERCROWDED CAMPS, WAITING TO CONTINUE THEIR JOURNEY.

RAED: I STUDIED MATHEMATICAL SUBJECTS IN THE UNIVERSITY OF ALEPPO.

I CANNOT COMPLETE MY EDUCATION.

WHEN I'M CHILD, I WANT TO GO TO EUROPE AND COMPLETE MY UNIVERSITY THERE.

THEN THE WAR STARTED IN SYRIA, I'M SAVED.

OH, I THINK MY DREAM WILL BE TRUE.

THE DAYS IS SO, SO, SO LONG HERE IN MELILLA.

WE DON'T DOING ANYTHING HERE.

JUST LIKE ANIMALS.

I'M SORRY FOR THESE WORDS, BUT WE ARE LIKE ANIMALS HERE.

WE JUST EATING AND SLEEPING.

[INDISTINCT CHATTER] [INDISTINCT CONVERSATION] [HORN HONKING] [RAED SPEAKING] RAED: HERE IS MELILLA.

HERE IS MELILLA.

HERE IS THE PEOPLE WHO ARE SUFFERING.

HELLO.

HELLO.

[MEN PRAYING IN ARABIC] RAED: SYRIA.

ANIKKE: MORE THAN A POLITICAL BUZZWORD.

REFUGEES ARE REAL PEOPLE WITH REAL FEARS DRIVING THEIR DECISIONS.

AND THEY TAKE A GREAT RISK TO PROTECT THEIR FAMILIES.

A GLIMPSE INTO THE LIVES OF IMMIGRANTS LIVING IN REFUGEE CAMPS REVEALS THEIR HUNGER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS AND AN OPPORTUNITY TO START OVER.

IF YOU'D LIKE TO SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THIS EPISODE AND LEARN MORE ABOUT WHAT YOU CAN DO TO AID REFUGEE CRISES AROUND THE PLEASE VISIT LINKTV.ORG/TRUSTDOCS.