Bana Alabed is a seven-year-old girl from Syria. She came to the world’s attention during the ongoing siege of Aleppo, where her mother would tweet their experiences daily, desperate for the world to see her children and hear their voices.
She quickly became the face and voice of Eastern Aleppo’s children. Through their experiences, the world was shown was exactly was happening on the ground for so many civilians caught up in the Assad’s regime offensive to recapture Aleppo.
In late November last year, Bana’s mum tweeted a chilling message saying goodbye to the world, as the city experienced heavy bombing. In their final weeks in Aleppo, the family’s home was hit by an airstrike, forcing them to flee.
Last message – under heavy bombardments now, can’t be alive anymore. When we die, keep talking for 200,000 still inside. BYE.- Fatemah
— Bana Alabed (@AlabedBana) November 27, 2016
As government forces moved in, Bana and her family were forced to take refuge in abandoned houses. They were constantly on the move for fear of being captured.
They were finally evacuated out of Aleppo by government buses and taken into Turkey, where they now live.

Here Bana is still championing for the support of children caught up in Syria. Earlier this year, she penned an open letter to US President Donald Trump, asking for his help in ending the crisis. “You must do something for the children of Syria, because they are like your children and deserve peace like you,” she wrote.
This week, Bana has visited a ten-year-old Adbel Basit in hospital. Abdel lost both his legs in a bombing as his family were trying to flee Syria.
Yeeeeeeeeeeeees I am very happy, I’m meeting Abdulbaset Ta’an the Syrian boy who lost both legs to bombing. https://t.co/xqrZ34FI60
— Bana Alabed (@AlabedBana) February 18, 2017
How you can help
The Syrian civil war has sparked what the UN refers to as “the biggest humanitarian emergency of our era.”
There are numerous charities operating worldwide to help those caught up in this crisis. Here is a list of a few below if you are looking to make a donation:
- MSF – Doctors Without Borders – msf.org.au/donate
- The Red Cross – redcross.org.au/Syria-charity
- Save the Children – savethechildren.org.au/donate/monthlydonation
- UNICEF – unicef.org.au/appeals/syria-crisis-appeal
- The White Helmets – https://www.whitehelmets.org/en