(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) British expat Ian Fern was passing by the Dubai Festival City during his lunch break when he was invited by a volunteer to take a peek at a virtual reality (VR) video showing the conditions of Syrian refugees in Jordan.
He was reluctant at first because he wanted to go back to his office immediately, but he accepted and spared a couple of minutes to watch the video prepared by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), for its 'Voices for Refugees' campaign.
"Very impactful," was how he described the video. "After watching the video, I've realised we can only see pictures and watch videos of how refugees - forcibly displaced due to conflict and persecution - live. What is more important is that we show solidarity and raise awareness about their dire needs," he told Khaleej Times.
UNHCR's Voices for Refugees campaign started on Tuesday and will run until August 24 at the Dubai Festival City. The campaign includes showcasing the refugees' situation through utilising VR devices.
The main objective of the campaign is to gather supporters who will show their solidarity with refugees by signing up at the Voices for Refugees web portal https://voices.unhcr.org/
Fern and some other visitors signed up to receive news about the UNHCR campaign for refugees around the world. The Voices for Refugees campaign is aimed at raising awareness about refugees' dire needs, with a special focus on children. This is the second event of its type to be organised in the UAE this year, inspired by the success of the first, which took place during Ramadan.
Mohammed Abu Asaker, UNHCR's senior regional public information officer in the Gulf, said: "It is so sad that our world today has more than 65.6 million people forcibly displaced due to conflict and persecution. Some 40 per cent of them reside in the Middle East and North Africa."
"The (campaign) is one of the most innovative approaches the UNHCR has created to seek a new audience to support refugees in the region and beyond," Abu Asaker noted.Emirati siblings Adeeb Sulaiman Alblooshi, 14, and Dana Sulaiman Alblooshi, 11, said they also felt empathy towards children of their age who are living in refugee camps. They encouraged UAE residents to take part in supporting initiatives such as the UNHCR campaign.
Meanwhile, Steven Cleaver, director, Shopping Malls, Al Futtaim Group Real Estate, said: "The UNHCR is an incredibly worthy organisation, so we are proud to be hosting this innovative activation at the Dubai Festival City to help raise awareness about refugees during the Eid holiday. We know that using cutting edge technology such as virtual reality is a really effective way of getting the message across to our visitors."
What the VR video shows
The VR video shows the condition of Syrian refugees and their quest for survival. Since the outbreak of civil war in Syria, millions of Syrians have taken refuge in neighbouring countries, including Jordan which has received around 1.4 million Syrian refugees.
A UNHCR guide gives a VR tour of the Zaatari Refugee Camp, the second largest camp in the world, where more than 80,000 Syrian refugees live. What used to be a tent city has become a permanent commune for the Syrians who have survived the war but are still fighting to live a life with dignity.
Angel Tesorero
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