A Star Of Hope

On a cold winter night, a boy sat huddled with a group of strangers in a cramped tent, softly humming a gentle melody. It was the melody of his mother’s lullaby, the last thing he heard before the bombs hit his home. In a flash of a second, his perfect world was torn. Away from his family, his home, he was one of the millions of Syrian refugees. Nizar was once an energetic and cheerful boy. Now, with his hollow eyes and sunken cheeks, he was one of the thousands of orphaned children. But he possessed a secret weapon to overcome all the gloom. It was the weapon of his Fantasies!!!

Whenever he needed the strength to carry on, he would build his palace of fantasies, with him strumming his guitar, his family keeping him warm in their embrace; where he would be loved and looked after; where his world would be the same as it used to be. As he stepped out of his tent that night a bright star, the brightest star on the horizon, caught his eye. He walked slowly towards it, one step at a time wondering if that was the star of his hope, his fantasies….

Fantasy is the thin thread of hope that keeps us going in difficult times. Just like Nizar we all have our dreams and fantasies. It is my fantasy that all the children in the world be happy and nurtured. I am definitely going to realise my fantasy by working with NGOs, donating my time and resources. If all of us decide to work together, Nasir’s fantasy of being reunited with his family can come true. And with that, with one less suffering child in the word, my fantasy too will come one step closer to realization.