( CNN ) -- Yousef is two years old and lives in a refugee camp in Iraq . Her mother tells comedian and UNICEF ambassador Eddie Izzard that she wants to return to her country , but will not jeopardize her children 's safety . With every day that passes in their life as a refugee , she fears that they are losing another day of their childhood . Yousef ( not his real name ) is two years old and lives in a shack that once sheltered animals . He arrived in Northern Iraq from Syria a few months ago . In Syria he lived in a nice home , in a nice area - full of middle-class comforts . But planes began to whirr through the skies and bombs began to fall in his region . The power supply diminished and the police disappeared . And , one day , a group of men came to the house and threatened his young sister . His mother said enough . So , Yousef was bundled up , packed into a car and set off to the border , where his mother carried him and his sister across to Iraq . Syria 's forgotten refugees . The family lost everything in Syria -- their house , their roots , and most of their loved ones . They followed in the footsteps of the only relatives who had already fled and moved into a large settlement of improvised homes , not far from Domiz refugee camp near Dohuk . An uncle had found the shell of a shelter for sheep and goats . They built up walls and covered holes with tarpaulin . Sixteen people moved in . There are now three rooms , with a family sleeping in each . I traveled to Northern Iraq with UNICEF to report on the growing catastrophe facing Syrian children . I was surprised to find that three quarters of refugees are in Yousef 's situation and do not live in formalized camps . Instead , refugees cram into overcrowded , rented flats ; shacks they have built from scratch , or converted dwellings . Others squeeze in with family members . Refugees find a home where they can . There is not enough space in camps for everyone . Domiz refugee camp alone was designed for 15,000 people and is already home to 45,000 . There are 160,000 refugees in Iraq and the number is anticipated to more than double by the end of the year to 350,000 . Towns , cities and wasteland soak up the overspill . The needs in these communities are dire . One young refugee girl I was told about had been out of school for two years and had forgotten how to read . Keeping children safe from harm and abuse is also problematic in fractured and ad hoc settlements . And -- perhaps most crucially as the temperatures hit 45 degrees - there is not enough clean water or sanitation facilities for everyone . With cholera epidemics most common in September , the threat of disease looms large in people 's minds . UNICEF , along with the Kurdistan Regional Government and other humanitarian organizations , is doing everything it can to get aid to children and their families who need it -- safe drinking water , adequate sanitation , specialist psychological support , education and health services . A dedicated plan to cater to the needs of urban refugees in northern Iraq is currently being drawn up with partners including UNHCR . But numbers are huge and expanding -- and there are not enough resources to go round and not enough funds to scale up existing programs . UNICEF has only a third of the money it needs for the year in order to deliver vital aid . At the moment , the agency simply can not help everyone it wants to . Yousef 's mother does not know how long they will have to stay in Iraq . She wants to return to her country , but will not jeopardize her children 's safety . She fears her son and daughter will forget Syria and they are growing up without the education , basic services and protection they deserve . With every day that passes in their life as a refugee , she fears that they are losing another day of their childhood . Syrian refugees plead with U.S. secretary of state in Jordan . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Eddie Izzard .
Two - year - old Yousef fled to northern Iraq from Syria with his mother and sister for their safety . They moved into a large settlement of improvised tents , near Dohuk . Eddie ##s says three quarters of them do not live in formalized communities . ` ` The needs in these communities are dire , '' says Izzard .