Little Amal, symbol of child refugees, reaches Paris

By Yusuf Ozcan

PARIS (AA) - Little Amal, a giant puppet representing a Syrian refugee girl, arrived Wednesday in the French capital as part of an 8,000-kilometer (4,970-mile) journey across Europe to raise awareness about the plight of millions of young refugees.

The puppet met children at Parc de la Villette, one of the largest parks in Paris and was the focal point of events that discussed the difficulties faced by Syrian refugee children. Amal then walked around the park for about 30 minutes.

Amal’s journey, a project called The Walk, started in Gaziantep in southeast Turkey in late July and will culminate in the northern English city of Manchester in early November, after stops in Greece, Italy, France, Switzerland, Germany, and Belgium.

The project is led by Good Chance, a UK-based theater and art company, and supported by Turkey’s Association of Solidarity with Asylum Seekers and Migrants and the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts.

*Writing by Busra Nur Cakmak in Ankara