In their words: Syria’s children

This compelling documentary tells of the decade-long conflict through the words of a ten-year-old girl

For ten long years Syria’s children have suffered through conflict. They have witnessed loved ones die, suffered from malnutrition, and had their education disrupted. On top of all this, their sense of safety and security has disappeared, leading to mental health and wellbeing issues; and for some post-traumatic stress disorders, learning difficulties, and behavioural issues.

This Save the Children documentary “A Syria Story” shows how children have been affected by a war they want no part in. This story sums up the experience of millions of children Save the Children have supported over the last 10 years of the conflict. It is a tragic story that at times is difficult to listen to, but it is an important story to hear.

Watch the documentary Like millions of Syrian children, the ten-year-old girl who narrates the film knows all too well what war means. She talks about being besieged by airstrikes and shelling and having to flee her home.

A life of constant displacement from camp to camp

In the documentary, the girl explains as they move from one displacement camp to the next to avoid further shelling, life gets worse. Winters are particularly brutal with their biting cold, and often there was very little to eat. “The types of foods I know from the time of the siege can be counted on my fingers,” she says. “But my mother always tell us that we should always be grateful and thank God because our situation is better than others; at least we used to eat. Others would sleep hungry and wake up hungry too.”

It is children who pay the price of war

For this ten-year-old girl, her childhood will soon end, still waiting for the war to be over. She’ll enter adulthood and look back on her childhood knowing death, hunger, poverty were part of it.  “Conversations about death and the people who die never end in our home,” she says.

With no end in sight to the conflict, support for the children is all we can give them. Support to continue their education, enough food to eat, and a warm, sheltered place to sleep. One day, these will make all the difference to a Syrian child.