A Syrian mother stopping with her family on the island of Lesbos, Greece — one of more than half a million desperate people who have fled to Europe this year from countries in chaos.

Muhammed Ali was just five days old when he and his family fled their home in war-torn Aleppo, Syria. Like many families, they had to split up to find safety. The four-year-old is now living in a camp in northern Greece with his mother and two of his siblings. His father and sister Noora are in Germany.

Eight-year-old twin sisters from Afghanistan recount harrowing tales of the fearful journey they endured as they made their escape to Europe. They are just two of the more than one million refugees from countries experiencing relentless conflicts who have fled to Europe for safety and a new start. "The smugglers had sticks and they beat us, and wouldn’t let us stop even for five minutes," one of the girls said.

When the road ahead is uncertain and everything has changed, the International Rescue Committee is there. In this video, Sir Patrick Stewart shares how the IRC helps people whose lives and livelihoods are shattered by conflict and disaster to survive, recover, and gain control of their futures.