Residents of Rukban are finally beginning to return to their homes as the deadly siege on the camp has ended. Since 2014, the Assad regime surrounded Rukban, severely restricting supplies and, more recently, outright blocking residents from returning home. For years, thousands endured unimaginable hardships in the inhospitable desert—surviving brutal winters, sandstorms, drought, starvation campaigns, and more. Now, with the siege lifted, Rukban is free. Syria is free. Families are reuniting with loved ones and returning to places they haven’t seen in over a decade. But for many, the journey home remains a challenge. Some lack the resources or means to leave, while others have no homes to return to. Much of Syria lies in ruins, destroyed by the violent war waged by the Assad regime, Russia, and Iran. The road to rebuilding lives and communities begins now.