A dangerous journey ends in sanctuary.

An unseasonal rain shower has blown through Basirva 2, a camp for internally displaced people located in Zakho, northern Iraq, and Diban is enjoying the temporary break from the normally hot day in his tent.

“I’ve been in the camp 10 months,” he says. “I came with my family, I have two parents, eight brothers and one sister.”

At 12, Diban is the youngest member of his family. When guests arrive, he jumps to serve refreshments — a glass of water, a cup of tea and a plate of biscuits. He sits beside the tray and is quick to refill cups when needed.

Like most of the more than 9,000 people in the camp, Diban is from Sinjar. He’s a quiet boy with a gentle smile who yearns for the peace and normalcy of his old life.

“I miss my village and my friends. Sinjar is very beautiful and the weather is nice too; it’s very hot here.”

After conflict broke out among armed groups, Diban and his family ran for their lives. They walked for nine hours from their village to the Syrian border. The journey was dangerous.

“It was very scary,” Diban says. “I could hear gunfire, and I was frightened.”

At the border the family met people who helped them escape. “We got into a truck and we were able to cross the border,” Diban says. “I feel safe here.”

Although they long for the security situation to improve so they can return home, the family’s basic needs are being met in the camp.

Supported by a generous donation from the government and people of Japan, Basirva 2 has adequate water and sanitation facilities for the people who have sought refuge there; the camp offers one latrine for every four families and one shower for every eight families.

However, funding for the humanitarian response in Iraq has reached a critical phase. With more than three million people displaced - nearly half of them children - UNICEF and its sister UN agencies have launched the Iraq Humanitarian Response Plan which seeks US $500 million to meet critical needs. If the money does not come, then the future of bright young children like Diban will see fewer services and less opportunity to not only recover, but to survive.

Diban, who is doing well in school and hopes to become a doctor, is optimistic that help will arrive.

“God willing, our situation will improve,” he says.