10-year-old Syrian refugee puppet has reached New York City
After walking thousands of miles across Europe, ‘Little Amal', a 10-year-old Syrian refugee puppet has reached New York City to raise awareness of the plight of refugee children and send across a message for peace and aid to the displaced. The 12-foot-tall puppet is in the US for a 17-day tour. According to New York Times, the puppet will tour all five boroughs, visiting with children, artists, politicians and community leaders as she begins a search for her uncle, and, her creators hope, helps highlight the experience, hardship and beauty of millions of displaced refugees.
The portal further reported that her walk through New York City will include more than 50 events of welcome, the puppet will pick flowers at a community garden in Queens, walk across the High Bridge in the Bronx, ride the Staten Island Ferry, dance in the streets of Washington Heights and find herself amid a Syrian wedding procession in Bay Ridge.
Check out her arrival in New York City:
Amal, which means hope in Arabic, has already travelled around 5,000 miles across Europe, from the Syrian-Turkish border to Manchester in northwest England. She has travelled through 12 countries - including greeting refugees from Ukraine at a Polish train station and stopping at refugee camps in Greece - and met with Pope Francis, said a report by ABC.
The making of Amal
According to an AFP report, the puppet was carefully crafted by the Handspring Puppet Company in Cape Town, South Africa. It is made out of lightweight materials such as cane and carbon fiber in order to enable people to operate it for extended periods of time in varied conditions.