Thailand/Malaysia/Indonesia, 17 April 2023 – “To me, a tree represents life – growing up, standing on my own two feet and, in turn, helping others with the shade I provide,” says 14-year-old Umaira* while holding a tree figurine.

It’s a sunny Thursday afternoon and Umaira is participating in an activity in which she expresses her emotions using figurines. Amidst the violence and persecution faced by ethnic Rohingya, she fled on her own in 2021, at the age of 11, and arrived in Thailand, unaware of what her situation would be like at her next destination.

During the activity, she is joined by 17-year-old Roshida* and Shobika*, who recently turned 18. Both left on the same boat from Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh, which is the world’s largest refugee settlement today.

Roshida holds up a candy figurine: “It reminds me of my childhood, where my family and friends would gather for parties. One day, I hope to find the same sense of community.”

Shobika, meanwhile, holds up a toy car – a symbol of freedom and stability, she explains.