20th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest People
Yohana

Yohana, 24, an Eritrean asylum seeker, stands in the alley leading to her home with two of her three children, Yagen and Finot (left), wearing a festive dress for Easter, Haifa, Israel, May 2, 2021. Yohana met her husband Fokor during their journey: 'We arrived on foot, walked three days to Sudan. From there, we continued to Sinai with the Bedouin. We drove in a small Toyota, in the trunk with 30 other people. One foot outside and one inside. It took about two weeks. At night, we slept an hour or two on the ground. They didn't give us food, only water with gasoline. It’s like vodka, you can drink just a little. There was no food at all". After crossing the border, Yohana lived with her family in Tel Aviv, while Fokor stayed with his brother in Ashkelon. For five months, they kept talking on the phone and met for coffee in Tel Aviv. In 2013, when they moved in together, their eldest son was born. Two years later, they moved to Haifa, where they got married a year later.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 05.2021
Date Uploaded: 11.2022
Photo Location: Haifa, Israel
Camera: NIKON D600
Copyright: © Daniel Rolider