Challenging Chances

The topic of refugees is still omnipresent. We can do it! #refugeeswelcome. It is no longer an abstract phenomenon, now we realize that there are real people made out of flesh and blood, living among us in our neighbourhoods. We can now visualize these individuals who have escaped their countries to come to us, and see their destiny.
The photo book show us their story right from the start of their escape to their arrival in Germany. The pictures are like looking into the windows of the life experiences these people have been through. Very enthusiastic and sensitive photographers have accompanied them in their search of a better life. The initial, often life-threatening escape being the main theme of the pictures.
After the successful escape into safety begins a long challenging process in the host countries. In Germany, as in every other host country, we are confronted with a great challenge for the whole society: the integration of the refugees locally, their integration through education and work, and bearing in mind to keep the local communities united.
Now, after the historical experiences of 2015, it is still necessary to carry on welcoming and accepting the immigrants as we have done before and will continue to do so in the future. Therefore, it is important to keep the issue high on the agenda and to inform about the situation of refugees to overcome prejudices against refugees. The photo agency laif from Cologne, together with The Bertelsmann Stiftung, have made this project possible.
It is and will remain a challenge, hence the title of the project: “Challenging Chances – Escape in Pictures”. But it is also an opportunity that we can master together with mutual understanding.