‘I Have a Dream’ Photo Exhibition Tells Story of Refugee Children

The traveling photo exhibition "I Have a Dream", dedicated to the Syrian refugee children in Bulgaria, was launched at the 18th school "William Gladstone" in Sofia on Monday.

The exhibition was first presented in January at a community center in Sofia, but now begins its journey around a number of elementary and secondary schools in Bulgaria. The initiative is supported by UNICEF Bulgaria. Its main goal is to show the plight of Syrian refugee children and to help their integration through building bridges with their Bulgarian peers.

The touching photographs of kids of various ages were taken in Bulgaria's refugee reception centers by photographer Ilka Antonova and Syrian journalist Nidal Khlaif. Under each photograph, there is a statement of the child, answering the question: "What is your dream?".

The event was opened by the Representative of UNICEF Bulgaria Tanja Radocaj, the Mayor of Sofia Yordanka Fandakova, and the journalist Nidal Khlaif. Guests included NGOs, diplomats, media, Syrian children, and teachers and students of 18th school "William Gladstone".

"For many of us, the war in Syria seems something far away. However, it has been going on for 3 years and affected 5.5 million children. As many as 1.2 million of them have had to leave their country, leaving friends and relatives behind. Many of them have not been able to go to school here, enduring the suffering that comes from not knowing the language, culture, and customs of their new country of residence", Mrs. Radocaj said.

"It is important to understand why these people are here. If many of them were not here, they would not be alive. Although there is no confirmed data, at least 10,000 children have been killed during the Syrian conflict and...