A Glimpse of War Through Syrian Children’s Eyes

In the Historic Center of Mexico City, the Women’s Museum opened the exhibition Syria: War and Peace – A Glimpse Through the Eyes of Children, organized by UNAM’s University Program for Studies on Asia and Africa (PUEAA) in collaboration with the international foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).

The exhibit features around 40 drawings by Syrian schoolchildren, some accompanied by powerful messages to the international community: “I don’t know my father’s face,” “Give us back our childhood,” “We don’t want more war,” “Will I see you again, healthy and strong?” and “We want to go to school…”

According to Mirella Feingold Steiner of the Mexican Federation of University Women, the exhibition aims to raise awareness of the hardships children face in Syria, foster empathy and solidarity, and share their unique perspectives on the world.

Julieta Appendini Morán, director of ACN Mexico, explained that the foundation has been working with Syrian children since 2016—particularly in Aleppo and surrounding areas—encouraging them to create peace-based drawings.

At the exhibition’s opening, Alicia Girón González, coordinator of PUEAA, emphasized that children around the world are facing critical challenges—in Mexico, Sudan, Ukraine, Palestine, and across the Middle East. “It’s not only about war and peace,” she said. “There are also terrorist movements and femicides—because girls are often the primary victims of violence.”