Joy can be difficult to find for many children. It is especially so when they are contained in refugee camps for any one of the many hundreds of reasons that such camps are established around the world.
Why political decisions are made to virtually imprison families in such camps is not up for discussion here. It is well known what hardships such camps impose on families and how the lives of children in such circumstances can be filled with hardships.
What is amazing is the resiliency of the human spirit even in the young. There is an inherent desire to find ways to create things and to find some joy in life. There are very few things that can bring more joy to a child than the flight of a kite and the feeling of a kite line in the hand as the kite dances free in the sky above.
The ROHINGYA PEOPLE are an ethnic group from Myanmar, once called Burma. Most live in Rakhine State on Myanmar’s western coast.
Myanmar is a majority-Buddhist state, but the Rohingya people are primarily Muslim, though a small number are Hindu. The ethnic minority is considered “the most persecuted minority in the world” by the United Nations. [National Geographic:
Who are the Rohingya people? -by Erin Blakemore - February 8, 2019]
Living with hundred of others of his religion in a camp in Bangaledesh, out of the reach of the Myanmore armed forces, several young boys have learned how to salvage waste materials (plastic bags, twigs and discarded string) to make both rudimentary and yet well designed kites to soar into the sky and relieve the boredom and nourish creativity and hope.
The story of 7-year-old Mohammed Arfat and some of his friends was captured by NPR's Jason Beaubien in a three minute audio story that will lift your heart for a moment. A brief story with photos by NPR's Allison Joyce completes the piece and gives a glimpse into the creativity of the young refugees.
Not only does it inspire wonder in the inherent adaptability and creativity of the human spirit, it also serves to remind us that here is much we need to do to ensure that all people can live in peace, being respected for their differences, and allowed to pursue a reasonable life free from fear and hatred.
Photo credits: Allison Joyce, NPR
Visit the NPR story here: A 10-Year-Old Kid Is Making Magic With His Kites - Jason Beaubien.
