In the Nothingness

Roaring, crashing, rumbling...the sound of the waves floods my ears. Everything is black, lit only by the dim moon rolling in and out of my vision. Black, all around. My eyes take snapshots of terrified faces, wide eyes, open mouths screaming - screams silent to my ears...I see men, women, children. A person I know, another I don't know. I can't see my brother. I've lost him. I've lost him in this frozen mass of people crammed together like prisoners on death row. When will this end? When will this angry sea swallow me whole? When will this boat stop rolling and tumbling and falling? It will have to soon, surely...

But if it doesn't, what will happen next? Where will this journey take me? What would be waiting for me if we reached the coast, frozen and petrified, come far from a land torn apart by the guns, the bad men, the explosions? It's so far away now, a world away, yet the scenes which have scarred my childhood are as strong as ever in my mind. They play over and over in my head. My mother, my father, my sister, our home; all gone forever... that's all behind me now. I am in the nothingness between an old life and a new - if even there is a new one for me - clueless and terrified of what awaits me at the end of this journey, if this raging sea doesn't cut it fatally short...

Scenes such as this are faced by countless children who are forced to leave their homes, their families and their countries, mercilessly driven out by war, terrorism and violence. Refugees have no idea what they will find on the other side of the long and dangerous journey, and sadly many never find out. Those who do are often met with hostility; many children are separated from family members and taken to overcrowded camps or even turned away.

No young person should have to suffer this, and we have the power to help. Together we can work to make refugees feel welcomed, to make children feel safe and, above all, to prevent them from feeling pushed to make a dangerous journey alone. If you want to join the ongoing fight to bring refugees security, safety and opportunities to start a new life, visit unicef.org.uk to see how you can be a part of the campaign.