The magazine of the art-form of the photo-essay “A free, really high quality photo-essay magazine.  Fabulous!” Stephen Fry. British actor, writer and film & documentary maker Aug 2013 BACK ISSUE Syrian Refugees by Giles Duley 1am; as night falls, refugees start arriving at the Zaatari camp. Most have walked for hours cross-country, carrying what possessions they can, often under fire from the Syrian army. On reaching the Jordanian border the refugees are taken by bus to the Zaatari camp where they are processed by the UNHCR. On average nearly 2000 refugees arrive each night. Syrian refugees wait for processing at the Zaatari camp. New arrivals are registered; medically screened; provided with a meal; given a tent, bedding, gas stove; then finally allocated their space within the camp. Handicap International immediately assesses the needs of those arriving with disabilities. The camp provides refuge from the war, but it is not without its own problems. There are reports of rape, a thriving black market, exploitation and recently there have been riots over conditions. Many feel unsafe to leave their tents at night. Whilst the many NGOs involved try their best to feed, shelter and provide medical care for the refugees, the sheer numbers and limited funding make the task almost impossible. Sawsan, 40, recently arrived at the camp. A few months before, she had gone outside to get her children, when a protest started in her street. Firing started and she was shot in the leg. After several months of treatment, her leg was amputated. When she returned home the fighting had become more intense in her neighbourhood and she was finally forced to flee when her home was damaged. She now finds herself living in a tent, an above knee amputee, a widow, and with 10 children to support. As well as those with recently acquired injuries, there are many with congenital and chronic disabilities that are forced to flee the fighting. Often they are left in desperate situations as the collapse of the Syrian healthcare system has left them with out the long-term support they require. Basil, 19 and his brother, Faraj, 22, both have severe Spinal Muscular Atrophy. Their widowed mother, Suward, grew fearful for their safety as the fighting intensified and their house was hit by shell fire. As neither of her sons could walk, her neighbours and strangers she met on the journey had to help her carry them across the border. Hamdah, 70, was hiding in a cellar when the Syrian Army searched her house. They dragged the family out from where they were hiding and in the melee Amina was pushed over, shattering her hip. Two of her sons are still being held and she's fearful of their fate. Scared to seek treatment in Syria, she fled to Jordan and is now living in the Zaatari camp. Though her hip has been fixed, she's still unable to walk and finds it impossible to get around the camp by wheelchair. Paralysed by a bullet, whilst fighting in Damascus, 22-year-old Shaher is now confined to a wheelchair. He lives on the 4th floor of an apartment block in Jordan that has no lift, and is cared for by his family. Despite being told he will never walk again, he's determined to prove the doctor's wrong and dreams of returning to Syria. Bashar was 12 years old when a tank shell landed near his house. The shrapnel shattered his leg. Delayed treatment meant his recovery has been painful and slow, made worse by the fact he already suffered from juvenile arthritis. Bashar is now getting the appropriate physiotherapy from Handicap International, and longs for the day when he can return to Syria and to school. He lives with his family on the 5th floor of an apartment in Jordan and is therefore unable to go outside. Watched by his neighbours' children, a farmer exercises in the home he now rents in Jordan. One night, a few months before, the lights suddenly went out in his farm. An hour later rockets hit and destroyed the building. His daughter was killed and he lost his leg.  "I lost a child and a leg, at least I still have one of each." Amina, a 63-year-old widow fled the fighting in Deraa. However soon after reaching Jordan she fell over in the night and broke her hip. With no family of her own to support her, she relies on the visits of the Handicap International physiotherapist. Asim, from Ibrid, was a 15km runner before the war started. After his home was attacked, he deserted the Syrian Army and took up arms with the Free Syrian Army (FSA). As the fastest in his unit, he was often sent ahead to scout, something he was proud to do. He was hit by shrapnel from a tank shell that severed his leg. Just a few months later, he now argues with his cousin, about whether he should be allowed to go back to fight once he has a prosthetic leg. His family is trying to persuade him not to, but he's determined to continue fighting. Lubna, 24, was a university student studying English, at Damascus University when the war started. Last year she was travelling in a bus that was attacked by the Syrian army. Many on the bus were killed, and Lubna herself was left gravely injured and bleeding from a bullet wound in her back. When others tried to reach the bus they were shot and killed by a sniper. It was three hours before help finally reached Lubna, and she was taken to a government hospital. She was told she would be unable to walk again. Hearing that the Syrian army were killing some of the patients, her family got her across the border to a hospital in Jordan. Her husband, a policeman, threatened to divorce her if she did not return to Syria within two days; despite her being in hospital and the threat to her life if she returned. Now divorced, she lives with her father, sister and 5-year-old brother in a rented flat in Jordan. Maha, a physiotherapist from Handicap International, helps Lubna with her exercises. It's unlikely she will walk unaided again. She waits for the day when peace returns to Syria so she can return to her studies. Isra, was sitting under a tree near her home, drinking tea, when a sniper shot her, fracturing her spine. She's nine years old and despite the best efforts of Handicap International's physiotherapists, Isra is unlikely to walk unaided again. Each day though, supported by her aunt and uncle, she pushes herself in rehabilitation to the point of tears. In a separate attack, her aunt was hit in the stomach by shrapnel during a rocket attack that killed her neighbours. In Syria, it seems, there is no one unaffected by the war.