Rachel Smalley | A patch in the Beqaa Valley

When covering the Syrian refugee crisis, Rachel Smalley translated overwhelming statistics of tragedy into stories of living, breathing people. Years later, Rachel still carries the grief of what she witnessed.Flying into Lebanon to report on the plight of Syrian refugees, Rachel Smalley felt the weight of the assignment. The stories she heard and retold struck a chord with New Zealanders who encountered World Vision's 'Forgotten Millions' campaign. The memories of those people and their stories will remain with Rachel forever.In her role as a radio host, Rachel joined and amplified the chorus of voices urging the New Zealand government to 'raise the quota' of refugees given asylum within our borders.In this conversation with broadcaster and media chaplain, Rev Frank Ritchie, Rachel unpacks some of the suffering she has seen and explores the complex grief she continues to carry.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details