A girl cries after crossing Greece's border into Macedonia near Gevgelija, Macedonia, August 22, 2015. REUTERS/Ognen Teofilovski Earlier this month, an image of a drowned Syrian toddler made the front pages of newspapers across Europe. The picture was emblematic of a crisis that has been plaguing the continent for years.

This year, it's estimated that Germany will grant asylum to over 800,000 refugees. Hungary, by contrast, will build a fences to keep them out. And Britain is slowly starting to accept them in small numbers. Europe has become a continent divided.

As civil wars and conflict with the Islamic State (ISIS) ravage their home countries, desperate refugees see Europe as a beacon of hope where they can rebuild their lives.

This is their story in pictures.