Middle East

Rag Dolls Offer Hope And Memories For These Young Refugee Sisters

The sisters use scraps of cloth from their mother.

Rag Dolls Offer Hope And Memories For These Young Refugee Sisters
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
SMS

When two young girls had to leave Syria, they had to leave their toys. 

Thuha and Shamsa live in Lebanon after fleeing from the war.

Their mother works as a tailor to support the family — including their sick father. 

Sewing Classes Are Giving Refugees Independence In Canada
Sewing Classes Are Giving Refugees Independence In Canada

Sewing Classes Are Giving Refugees Independence In Canada

The Darzee seamstress training program is run by Mes Amis Canada, a nonprofit.

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The girls use their mother's scraps for dolls in order to remember their home country. 

"My mother in Syria taught us how to make dolls," Thuha said. 

"We miss our cousins and toys, we hid the ones in Syria in a bag in the outdoor clay oven," Shamsa said. 

The girls realize their old dolls are probably no longer where they left them. 

But they still hope to go back and get them someday. 

They don't know what the word "refugee" means. But the homemade rag dolls offer hope as they get used to their new home.