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:
