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VIDEO: 'We Want To Live Like Everyone Else,' Say Orphans From Aleppo

Aleppo is under attack. Civilians trapped in the siege in Syria — including children from an orphanage — are turning to social media with a message to the world: End the violence.

In the video, a group of about two dozen children in sweaters and knit caps stand in three rows, as if to sing a Christmas carol or recite a poem. Instead, they have a message for "those concerned with human rights and the rights of children."

The video was recorded in Arabic, then translated to English and posted by Aleppo Today TV, an independent Syrian TV channel.

"We are scared of the airstrikes ... Please get us out of Aleppo. We want to live like everyone else," says Yasmeen Qanouz, 10.

Yasmeen says there are 47 children in the orphanage. They — along with an uncertain number of civilians — have been stuck in Aleppo amid what aid groups have described as horrific bloodshed, NPR reports.

Anna Nelson, a spokeswoman for the International Committee of the Red Cross, says: "Clearly, in Aleppo today, children are among the most vulnerable victims of this conflict. It's heartbreaking to imagine dozens of children who have lost their parents, desperately wanting to find safety."

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Malaka Gharib is the deputy editor and digital strategist on NPR's global health and development team. She covers topics such as the refugee crisis, gender equality and women's health. Her work as part of NPR's reporting teams has been recognized with two Gracie Awards: in 2019 for How To Raise A Human, a series on global parenting, and in 2015 for #15Girls, a series that profiled teen girls around the world.