While adults are busy with the ongoing civil war and the resulting devastation, Bana Alabed, a 9-year-old Syrian girl from Aleppo, has stressed the need for "urgent action" to save the children of her country and around the world from the scourge of war.
Three years ago, Bana captured the world's attention with her moving tweets from war-torn Aleppo.
Along with her mother, father and two little brothers, she was granted Turkish citizenship after being evacuated, along with thousands of others, from the regime-besieged city. "Before the war, I had a good life in Syria," Bana said in an exclusive interview with Anadolu Agency (AA). "It was so peaceful; I had a lot of fun with my family."
Bana became famous for her tweets on the situation in Aleppo. With more than 300,000 followers on social media, the 9-year-old Syrian girl continues to be the voice of her fellow citizens who suffer under the Bashar Assad regime.
Speaking English, which she learned from her mother, an English teacher, she added: "When the war started, everything changed. I was afraid that I, or another member of my family, would die."
"My friend Yasmin was killed, but I didn't lose hope," she said, going on to recall her time under siege in Aleppo "when there was no food or water."
"Refugee children all over the world, especially in Syria, have suffered a lot from bombings and conflicts," Bana said. "We must try to bring peace to their countries, so they can return to their homes," she added.
"I dream of making this world a better place," Bana noted, indicating that she hopes to change many things.
The civil war in neighboring Syria has saddled Turkey with the task of addressing challenges stemming from the ongoing crisis. Pursuing an open door policy, Turkey has received a constant flow of displaced Syrians fleeing the conflict, with the numbers of refugees expanding from mere thousands to more than 3.5 million, by far the most among refugee-hosting countries.
Of the Syrian refugee population, nearly 1.6 million are children in Turkey, and nearly 300,000 Syrians have been born in Turkey since 2011. To meet the needs of refugees, the country has spent more than $32 billion from its own national resources. Aside from meeting the basic needs of refugees, Ankara has been focusing on providing an education to refugee children to prevent these children from becoming a "lost generation" and equip them to rebuild their own countries in the future.
Regarding her journey from Aleppo to Turkey, she said: "It was so difficult; I remember the displaced children crying in the buses." She went on to recall her first hours in Turkey; how she and other children were "so tired and hungry" following the two-day bus journey.
"The next day we met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan," Bana recalled. "I remember being happy, excited and scared all at the same time," she added.
She said: "I told myself I have to remain calm when delivering my message from the children of Syria, which is to let children everywhere live in peace."
When asked about her new life in Turkey, she replied with bright eyes: "I love Turkey so much; it is safe and peaceful. Here I have school and so many friends." "I am so happy to now be a Turkish citizen," she added.
However, despite being happy in Turkey, Bana still dreams of returning to her hometown one day.
"I always dream of going back to my home," she said, adding that "Sooner or later, we will go back and rebuild the country."
