Two Syrian sisters are forced to sell cotton candy to survive as their peers enjoy school education.
The 7 and 10-year-old sisters, Gazla Hamşo and Kifah Hamşo, who have been selling cotton candy for years in the northern Syrian town of al-Bab, dream of the day they will be seated at their school desks.
According to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), 2.4 million children inside the country and 750,000 children outside the country cannot go to school as a result of the 10-year war in Syria. In Syria, where approximately 6.1 million children are in need of assistance, approximately 2.6 million children have been displaced within the country, migrating with their families.
As their peers in many parts of the world make memories eating the candy, sisters Gazla and Kifah are busy selling it to support their families.
The Hamşo family migrated to Aleppo city center after the Daesh terrorist group invaded the al-Bab town in 2014, and then moved back to the town in 2017.
Al-Bab, previously ruled by Daesh terrorists who destroyed its infrastructure and displaced thousands of civilians, was liberated four years ago in Operation Euphrates Shield, which was carried out by the Turkish military and the Syrian National Army (SNA), then called the Free Syrian Army (FSA).
The town, an important crossroad and settlement in northeastern Aleppo province, was liberated from the cruel four-year-long Daesh rule on Feb. 22, 2017. Due to its strategic importance, al-Bab witnessed the fiercest clashes between Daesh terrorists and Turkish forces, especially at the Sheikh Aqeel district overlooking the town. Following its liberation, most of al-Bab's residents returned to the town, with its population almost doubling from 130,000 in February 2017 to 250,000 in February 2020.
The town's infrastructure and public buildings, which were heavily damaged due to lack of maintenance, airstrikes targeting the Daesh terrorists or the final clashes before its liberation, have either been restored or completely rebuilt thanks to Turkey's efforts.
Gazla and Kifah assumed the financial responsibility of the family due to their father Sayit Hamşo's disability following a work accident.
The biggest dream of Kifah, whose name means "struggle" in English, is to go to school one day.
Kifah, who is the same age as the civil war in Syria told the Anadolu Agency (AA): "I am 10 years old. I have been selling cotton candy for four years in al-Bab to support my mother and father. My father is uncomfortable with his back."
The little girl continued by saying that she is "very afraid of the sounds of bombs, planes and guns," referring to the trauma she had to endure before Turkey's liberating operation in the region.
Stating that she wanted to be a teacher when she grew up, Kifah said: "Like other children, I want to wake up in the morning and wear school uniforms and go to school. I wish to learn to read and write."
Noting that her disabled father sells cotton candy prepared at home in the city center, Kifah said: "My daily earnings in cotton candy vary. Sometimes I earn 5,000 Syrian lira (about $1.30) and sometimes 6000 Syrian lira."
Little Gazla, whose life has been marked by a number of immigrations and living in poverty so far, also wants to go to school.
Father Sayit said that his children contribute to the survival of the family.
"My only wish when I wake up is to see my children go to school with their books and bags instead of selling cotton candy in the wheelbarrow in the morning," he said.
Complaining about the cost of living arising from the civil war in Syria, Hamşo emphasized that they are facing financial difficulty.