Pictures from the Field - Iraqi Refugees in Syria

While Iraqis who fled the war in their country are waiting in Douma center outside Damascus for the UNHCR to register them as refugees, Iraqi clowns are part of a troupe called – nomen omen “Happy Family” (refugees themselves after two of the group were killed in Baghdad) stage a performance about the need for the children to go to school. UNHCR’s research showed that 76% of Iraqi children are not enrolled in Syrian schools although it is possible and free. Photo: Anna Husarska/The IRC

An Iraqi woman inspects the dolls in a street stall in Sayyida Zaynab, outside Damascus. Photo: Anna Husarska/The IRC

A notice in an Iraqi barber shop advertises free trips for returnees offered by the Iraqi authorities. The customer being shaved has no intention to return: his name is “Saddam” so he may be right to stay away. The barber and his friend say “perhaps, but not yet.” Photo: Anna Husarska/The IRC

A UNHCR employee registers a family of Iraqi refugees in Douma outside Damascus. Photo: Anna Husarska/The IRC