How Syrian Children Cope — Saja Tells Her Story

Series: Children of Syria Speak, Part 2 of 5

Meet Saja, 12. She has been displaced in Aleppo, Syria, for three years. "My friends died when we were bombed," Saja remembers. "My friends Fatima, Zahra, Cedra and Wala'a. I lost my leg. My school is far away, and I get very tired walking there. It's a struggle, but what else can you do?"

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

Maya’s story

Ammar’s story

Moheb’s story

Learn More