As US President Donald Trump prepares to halt letting any Syrian refugees into the US, a small — but powerful — voice is pleading with him to help the people of her country.

Bana Alabed, who is renown for tweeting tragic updates in the midst of the Syrian civil war, escaped Aleppo during the mass evacuations in December and since then has sought refuge in Turkey. 

Over the past few months, as Aleppo crumbled under the siege of rebel and government combat, Alabed has courageously played the role of reporter. 

People became captivated by her resilience, her tweets. Her Twitter following grew and the world became more invested in her safety. 

Read More: Update: Bana Alabed, 7-Year-Old Girl Tweeting from Aleppo, Is ‘Safe’

Now, far from the front lines and in light of the inauguration, Alabed has begun to play the role of an activist and a true Global Citizen. Bana has written a letter to President Trump days before the inauguration after having seen him “many times on TV,” her mother Fatemah told the BBC. 

Bana Alabed's letter to President Trump

Dear Donald Trump,

My name is Bana Alabed and I am a seven years old Syrian girl from Aleppo.

I lived in Syria my whole life before I left from besieged East Aleppo on December last year. I am part of the Syrian children who suffered from the Syrian war.

But right now, I am having a peace in my new home of Turkey. In Aleppo, I was in school but soon it was destroyed because of the bombing.

Some of my friends died.

I am very sad about them and wish they were with me because we would play together by right now. I couldn't play in Aleppo, it was the city of death.

Right now in Turkey, I can go out and enjoy. I can go to school although I didn't yet. That is why peace is important for everyone including you.

However, millions of Syrian children are not like me right now and suffering in different parts of Syria. They are suffering because of adult people.

I know you will be the president of America, so can you please save the children and people of Syria? You must do something for the children of Syria because they are like your children and deserve peace like you.

If you promise me you will do something for the children of Syria, I am already your new friend.

I am looking forward to what you will do for the children of Syria.

It remains unclear if her letter will have any impact in the US’s response to the crisis.

During his campaign, President Trump spoke of ceasing aid to the rebels — but more recently he has called for Syrian "safe zones," which would ultimately aid rebel forces.

"We're going to try and patch that up and we're going to try and help people," Trump promised in December during a rally in Florida. "We're going to build safe zones. We're going to get the Gulf states to pay for the safe zones."

Since those comments, the war in Syria has shifted dramatically, with government forces retaking Aleppo and other key places and millions of Syrian refugees have fled to other countries.Of the 21.3 million refugees today, half of them are children and 4.7 million of them are from Syria, which has been steeped in a bloody civil war since 2011.

The US has admitted 12,000 Syrian refugees under the Obama administration. In 2015, Syrian refugees made up just 2% of total refugees who entered the US. The majority were from Myanmar, Iraq, and Somalia, according to the New York Times

But according to congressional aides and immigration experts, on Wednesday President Trump is expected to sign executive orders that include a temporary ban on most refugees, as well as a suspension of visas for citizens of seven Middle Eastern and African countries, including Alabed’s own Syria.

TopicsCitizenshipsyriaRefugee CrisisPresident TrumpWomen &Girls

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Bana Alabed Pens Letter to Trump: Please Save Syria’s Children

By Gabriella Canal