Little Amal walked along while refugee children sang songs

The event in ADANA, where the 3.5 m tall puppet named Amal, symbolizing a 9-year-old Syrian refugee girl, met with Turkish and refugee children. Children sang songs while Little Amal walked along.

Adana was the second stop on the 8,000-kilometer journey from Gaziantep to Manchester of the puppet named Amal, symbolizing a Syrian refugee girl, produced by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts and the Cultural Manager Recep Tuna. Little Amal walked on the historical Stone Bridge under the guidance of Adana Metropolitan Municipality, Orange Blossom Carnival, and SGDD-ASAM. While Amal was walking to Zubeyde Hanim Park, she was accompanied by the Adana Metropolitan Municipality band. The participants of the event had a pleasant time with the songs of the SGDD-ASAM Al Farah Children's Choir, which consists of Turkish and refugee children. In Adana, which is among the cities with the highest refugee population, the rhythm show and piano concert of the refugee children attracted attention.

SADA WOMEN SEWED AMAL'S SKIRTS

The skirts that Amal will wear on the route to Turkey, especially to Gaziantep, were sewn by Turkish and Syrian women. A total of seven skirts; 'The Project for Empowering Refugee and Host Community Women and Girls' Socio-Economic Stability through Female Leadership', carried out by UN Women with the financial support of the Government of Japan and in partnership with ASAM-ASAM and Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality, and UN Women's financial support for the Norwegian government. It was sewn by 12 women who are partners of the SADA Women's Cooperative, supported by the 'Strengthening the Resilience of Syrian and Host Community Women through Evidence-Based Data and Gender-Sensitive Support Project' carried out in partnership with SGDD-ASAM and Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality. The women prepared the models of the skirts inspired by the local clothes of the cities of Gaziantep, Adana, Mersin, Konya, Antalya, İzmir, and Denizli, where Amal will walk. The skirts, which were prepared from 'kutnu' fabric, 'bindalli' patterns, and regional embroidery, were jointly designed by Turkish and Syrian women.

82.4 MILLION PEOPLE DISPLACED

SGDD-ASAM Adana Al Farah Child and Family Support Center Manager Mert Yoleri, who continues to work in partnership with UNICEF, said that according to the United Nations Refugee Organization's (UNHCR) 2020 Global Trends Report, people who were displaced in 2020 due to war, violence, persecution and human rights violations. He said the number of people had increased to 82.4 million. Stating that children are among the most vulnerable group, Yoleri said, "We believe that Little Amal's journey will raise awareness on this issue. As SGDD-ASAM, we serve asylum seekers with our 55 field offices. "We support the education of children, as well as work towards improving their social well-being, promoting social cohesion, gaining the knowledge and skills needed in daily life. We strive to ensure that refugee children are not a lost generation."