Lyse Doucet talks to those who have survived - or are surviving - the conflict in Syria.

Five years ago, protests in Syria as part of the Arab Spring, were put down with violence by the Syrian Government. The mass protests quickly became an armed rebellion, with increasing sectarian involvement. As the conflict escalated, other countries became involved with Russia commencing air strikes in September 2015, and areas of the country becoming strongholds of so-called Islamic State militants.

The Syrian conflict has changed people's lives irrevocably and, in this series of interviews, they reflect on the situation in which they find themselves.

Episode 1: Sam has stayed in his home city of Deraa and believes the Government is doing its best to support the Syrian people. He studies English Literature, even though many of his teachers, and his fellow students, have left the country. He finds solace in his books, reading Hamlet and writing poetry. At night, he often listens to music to drown out the sounds of warfare around him.

Producer: David Prest
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4. Show less