Take one look at the news right now and the stories will tell you Europe is experiencing a ‘crisis'. Endless headlines scream of refugees or migrants ‘flooding’ Europe, whilst news columns are filled with statistics on the number of people arriving in boats or tragically drowning before they reach the shore. But how much do we really think about what pushes people to make these dangerous journeys to a foreign land? 

This powerful video from Save the Children, ‘If Surrey were Syria’ shows what a different sort of crisis looks like. 

Through a candid camera social experiment, it transforms the green, peaceful and quintessentially British county of Surrey (home to the likes of many a ‘Sir’, including Sir Michael Caine and Sir David Attenborough) into a conflict zone, to show how average Britons would feel if they found themselves living in a state of war. 

Recreating real-life situations that commonly arise in conflict zones, the video captures genuine public reactions to the injustices Syrians face on a daily basis. Local schools are closed without explanation, supermarket shelves lie empty, and ambulances are stopped at arbitrary police checkpoints. The place these Brits call home is unrecognisable, leading one appalled shopper to ask:  ‘What’s going on? Have we entered a parallel universe or something?’ 

Unwittingly, her question speaks volumes. For Syrians and the millions living in warzones across the world, this is not a parallel universe. This is real life. 

After four years of war, 80% of Syrians live in poverty and the average life-expectancy has fallen by 20 years. A combination of regular food and electricity shortages, broken healthcare infrastructure and most importantly, the constant threat of violence, is pushing more and more people to flee their homes in search of safety.  According to the UNHCR, 1 in 5 Syrians is now a refugee.

Although the ultimate aim is to bring an end to the conflict causing so much instability, the world must respond to this humanitarian crisis  As European governments debate how many refugees to accept, videos like this urge those of us living in the luxury of peace to imagine what it would feel like if our communities were crippled by conflict, and if we were the ones in need of help. 

To find out how you can help children displaced by conflict in Syria, visit here.