Watch | A Syrian refugee’s journey to Germany for a better life

Mohammed Al-Haj escaped the shelling in Aleppo, Syria after his country fell into a civil war. The video follows the 26-year-old refugee on his journey to Germany — a trip hundreds of thousands of other Syrians are trying to make. Mohammed's life was wrecked by the civil war in his homeland. His home city, Aleppo, turned into a hellish battle zone between government and rebel forces.

Mohammed's journey to Europe in September chronicles the deeply personal aspirations that drove him and many others. He was convinced he deserved better than a life trapped as a refugee in Turkey. Pointing to the future of Europe as it absorbs the wave of migrants, he spoke of how he wanted to be a productive part of society.