Location: Keleti Railway Station Tranzit Zone, Budapest, Hungary 2015 August
Interviews and texts: Margit Fehér
"Children among the hundreds of asylum seekers crammed into a bleak passageway under Budapest’s Keleti train station, the scene of migrant protests, draw to pass the time before their families travel on—if the Hungarian authorities allow it—to the richer countries of Northern and Western Europe to settle. With markers, crayons and colored pencils donated by volunteers, they work quietly in small groups, squatting or sitting on the ground.
Their pictures show homes left behind, the often horrible experiences they endured and some of their dreams of a better, peaceful future.
"We want real life," writes Ahmed Reshad, a 20-year-old from Kapisa province of Afghanistan, east of Kabul, when he gets hold of one of the sheets handed out to dozens of children in the subterranean passages. " - as it was published in the Wall Street Journal
original publication: http://graphics.wsj.com/migrant-childrens-drawings/
This is Teyba from Afghanistan. She is nine years old.
This is Mohanned, one of 3 years old twin brothers from Syria. His drawing depicts an airplane with falling bombs, a man who is lying on the ground bleeding, two people shooting at each other and two knives.
He is Moaied, the other 3 year old twin from Syria.
He is Sallem, a 12-year old Syrian boy.
Her name is Kirisma, she is seven years old and from Kabul, Afhanistan. Her family wants to go to Germany.
He is Walit, a nine-year old boy from Syria. His drawing shows firing helicopters, tanks and dead people. He wants to become a policeman when he grows up.
He is Waidullah, we maj want to drop this picture as I have no more information on him.
She is Riham, 11 years old, from Syria. Her drawing shows pink helicopters, a falling bomb and a man shooting at another with a rifle.
He is Ehsan, a 10-year old boy from Afghanistan. His drawing "is in the future. My father works. The car is yellow since it's a cab. That's the cab my father will drive in Austria," he said.
Her name is Mitra. She is eight years old. The drawing depicts how happy she was there.
His name is Fahin. He is five years old. His drawing shows rain, a police car and a man.
She is Rama, a Syrian girl, whose drawing shows that she misses her best friend, a Palestinian girl, Zenab.
He is Yusof from Afghanistan. He is four years old.
He is Kamal from Sudan. He is three years old.
His name is Hosiar, he is five years old. This is his home, with two apple trees and two cars among the mountains in Aleppo, Syria
He is Halil, an eight-year old Kurd boy. He drew himself, once in color, then in black and white.
He is Umid from Afghanistan. He is three years old. That's a duck in his drawing.
She is Hala, a 10-year old girl from Aleppo, Syria.
He is 12 years old and from Afghanistan. As his drawing reads, this is his home there.
He is Mohamad, a 10-year boy from Syria.
He is Morteza, a nine-year old boy from Afghanistan. He says about his drawing: "This is a dream, our house in Austria, with a swimming pool. I love this dream."
She is Farah, 12 years old, from Aleppo, Syria.
He is Hassan, a 10-year old boy from Syria.
She is Maryam, a 10-year old girl from Afghanistan. Her family wants to get to Finland. "This is my house and the garden in the future," she said about her drawing.
He is Amir, a five-year ofd boy from Afghanistan.
He is Mustafa, a seve-year olf boy from Syria.
He is Hadi, a 10-year old boy from Kabul, Afghanistan. He said his drawing, which has 'Help' written over it, shows two people "crying because they have nothing and they had to come to Hungary."
This boy is from Afghanistan. He is waiting for his brother to meet in Budapest so they can continue their journey to Austria.
She is Amina, a 10-year old girl from Syria. This is her home, which she loves and misses much.
"We want real life," writes Ahmed Reshad, 20, from Kapisa province of Afghanistan, east of Kabul.