Fourth-grade classroom in a classroom in the Al Karnak camp, Tartous, Syrian Arab Republic.

How Syrian Children Cope — Maya Tells Her Story

Series: Children of Syria Speak, Part 1 of 5

 

Meet Maya. She is 9 years old and loves to draw. Originally from Damascus, she and her family now live in Turkey. "I would like to go to a place where there is no bombing," Maya says, "where we can come and go, where we know we are safe."

 

For five years now, the children of Syria have lived with raging conflict.

 

The violence has taken a toll. Of the 8.4 million children affected, some are displaced in their own homeland. Others live as refugees in neighboring countries. More than 15,000 have crossed Syria’s borders unaccompanied, separated from everything they knew, even their parents.  

 

“For the youngest Syrian children, this crisis is all they have ever known," says UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake. "For adolescents entering their formative years, violence and suffering have not only scarred their past; they are shaping their futures.”

 

Yet they show remarkable resilience — and hope. Let's honor the children of Syria and their stories. 

 

See the rest of the video series:

 

Besan’s story

 

Moheb’s story

 

Ammar’s story

 

Saja’s story

 

 

Learn More

 

HOW TO HELP

There are many ways to make a difference

War, famine, poverty, natural disasters — threats to the world's children keep coming. But UNICEF won't stop working to keep children healthy and safe.

UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories — more places than any other children's organization. UNICEF has the world's largest humanitarian warehouse and, when disaster strikes, can get supplies almost anywhere within 72 hours. Constantly innovating, always advocating for a better world for children, UNICEF works to ensure that every child can grow up healthy, educated, protected and respected.

Would you like to help give all children the opportunity to reach their full potential? There are many ways to get involved.

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