Even in a refugee camp, this man is working to build a better life. Safwan Harb fled Syria with two family members, and they settled in Zaatari, a refugee camp monitored by the United Nations and government of Jordan. Yet Harb and his family are all disabled, and it was difficult for them to get around on Zaatari’s uneven dirt streets. So Harb designed a creative electric bicycle.
He started with a regular bike, and then used spare parts to totally convert it into an accessible vehicle that gives freedom of movement to disabled people. The bicycle is guided through the handlebars, which are equipped with brakes. Five 12 volt batteries power the bike.
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“Because of my disability I’m forced to be creative and find ways to help me live my life as easily as possible be it Syria or here, it’s the same,” Harb said in a video captured by the BBC.
Since it opened in 2012, Zaatari has expanded rapidly. It started as a home for 100 families and now around 80,000 people live there, making it the second biggest refugee camp in the world, and the Middle East’s largest camp. Some have estimated that as many as 80 babies are born there every day. According to the UN, the camp was assembled in just nine days, but its growth since then has been dramatic.
Harb left Syria three years ago and came to Zaatari. He dreams of one day studying technology in the classroom. “If possible I would like to study technology because I have many ideas but not the academic learning,” he said.
Via the BBC
Images via screenshot
