Zyad and Suozan are among more than 110 million forcibly displaced people in the world today. They lived for over a decade as refugees in Jordan, where they welcomed three sons to the family. Life there was difficult. Zyad worked constantly, but the family struggled to pay for rent, healthcare, and education. Maram was one of the top students in her class, but they couldn’t afford to send her to high school.

The family moved to the US through Welcome Corps, a program that enables groups of volunteers to sponsor refugees in their communities.

“When we arrived in America, we were looking for two things,” Zyad said. “Education for the kids… and to be in a place which allows us to grow.”

Since 2020, Airbnb.org has provided more than 1.4 million nights of free, temporary housing to more than 210,000 refugees and asylum seekers. Zyad and Suozan's stay was made possible by Airbnb.org’s Sponsorship Initiative. Announced on World Refugee Day 2023, this program provides funding and housing support to nonprofits like IRIS and Welcome Corps that connect refugees with sponsors in the US.

Working with Paul Pryor, Alfredo Adan, Tara Shupe, Jasmine Wiggins, Marguerite Carter and Whitney Fromholtz, I was the EP overseeing all production for this shoot.