A 6-year-old boy sent a letter to President Obama inviting to take a Syrian refugee boy to live with him and his family, highlighting the compassion and lack of suspicion and cynicism that many young people have after seeing some of the devastating photos and videos of the Syrian refugee crisis.
In a video posted to President Obama’s social media accounts, he had the boy, Alex, read the letter. Alex was affected by the photos of Omran Daqneesh, the 5-year-old Syrian boy who was injured during a military airstrike in Aleppo. A photo of his injuries went viral around the world, impacting millions—including Alex. He asked President Obama if Omran could live with him.
“We will give him a family and he will be our brother,” Alex said. “Catherine, my little sister, will be collecting butterflies and fireflies for him. In my school, I have a friend from Syria, Omar, and I will introduce him to Omar, and we can all play together.”
Alex doesn’t want him to suffer—he wants to help him give him the opportunity to live a better life.
President Obama read Alex’s letter at the Leaders’ Summit on Refugees at the United Nations, where he and other leaders pledged to increase funding to humanitarian agencies, admit more refugees and allow them to resettle and enter the country legally, and increase their access to education and work. He also announced that the U.S. will accept 110,000 refugees from around the globe in the next fiscal year, which starts Oct. 1—a number up nearly 60 percent from last year.