INTERNATIONAL
Abdullah Al-Mohamed plays a game with his daughter Salwa to help her cope with the sounds of falling bombs in Syria
Syria: As the civil war in Syria still continues, this video from there is now being widely shared on social media.
In the video, the toddler is seen standing on the sofa while her father is sitting on it. And they are playing this game. One can't fight the tears while watching this.
As the sounds of the air strikes grow, the father asks the child if that sound is coming from a' plane' or from a 'shell'. The daughter proudly answers 'shell' and giggles. She also says, "It will fall again and we can laugh." As the sounds of the blasts increase, the toddler jumps and laughs loudly with her father, who is encouraging her to laugh. The video ends with a slight smile on the father's face.
Their family has now sought refuge at a small town called Sarmada near the Syria-Turkey border. This place is now a temporary home for almost 3.6 million Syrian refugees. The family was forced to leave their home in Saraqeb, a town in Idlib province that fell to government forces earlier this month. The family left home when the situation there became worse.
During his interview with Al Jazeera , the father said that he made this small game to help his daughter overcome the fear of the blasts.
The civil war in Syria seems to be never ending. 9,00,000 people have already been displaced from the Idlib Province, ever since the situation intensified during December.
Turkey, which supports the rebel groups, and Russia, which supports Al-Assad, agreed to create a demilitarised zone in Idlip, but recently Al-Assad re-launched his drive.
The father has no hope for the future. He is unable to find work in the new place and every single day is a struggle for the family.
He worries about the environment his child is growing in. He said, "I want the world to know we are not terrorists, we are humans. We are worthy souls, who have the right to live like any other human being. When my daughter grows up, my game will no longer shield her from her deeper psychological trauma.