LEBANON: Syrian children perform play to raise money for young refugees in Beirut

Record ID: 274415

  • Title: LEBANON: Syrian children perform play to raise money for young refugees in Beirut
  • Date: 3rd July 2013
  • Summary: BEIRUT, LEBANON (JULY 2, 2013) (REUTERS) BOARD READING (English and Arabic): "ANGELS OF SPRING" VIDEO PROJECTOR PLAYING VIDEO ON STAGE VIDEO OF CHILDREN PLAYING IN AN AMUSEMENT PARK BEING SHOWN ON STAGE CURTAINS OPENING ON STAGE AND CHILDREN PERFORMING VARIOUS OF CHILDREN PERFORMING ON STAGE VARIOUS OF PEOPLE IN AUDIENCE WATCHING PLAY VARIOUS OF TWO BOYS PERFORMING IN PL
  • Embargoed: 18th July 2013 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Lebanon
  • Country: Lebanon
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA3L8GUI14XKAEO1474ZYPYGAYE
  • Story Text: Syrian children living in a refugee camp in Beirut took to the stage on Tuesday (July 2) to raise money for children in their camp.
    The child refugees, aged between 6 and 15-years-old, performed the play 'Angels of Spring' in the Lebanese capital to raise money for the Shatila refugee camp.
    The play's director, Diana Al-Rifai, said she hoped to raise funds for a children's nursery in the camp.
    Apart from fund-raising, preparing for the play helped the children take their minds off their living situation since fleeing the violence in their home towns and seeking refuge in Lebanon.
    Rifai said she wanted to show that the child refugees can still achieve goals and enjoy their time despite their difficult living conditions.
    "I am not a theatre director and I don't work in the theatre, I studied political science and my aim of this experience is not to try working in the theatre but to show that these children are talented, they have their ambitions which they can achieve and they are not only refugees who are unable to continue their lives without any aims. At the same time, we can develop the nursery that the children are staying in, 'the nursery of our hopes', in Shatila,'' she said.
    More than 1.7 million people have fled Syria since the start of the conflict with Lebanon hosting around half a million refugees, according to the United Nations.
    "I am from Syria, from Idlib, Marrat Numan. I miss my grandmother, my uncle and my aunt.'', said eight-year-old Nagham, who was performing in the play.
    The 35-minute play tells a story of the relationship between a powerful king and innocent children, and was part of a fund-raising event held in the Metro Al-Madina entertainment hall in Beirut.
    All money raised from ticket sales will go towards aid for Syrian children living in the Shatila refugee camp.
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