Little Amal made a big impression on the Lower East Side

Photos by Stacie Joy 

As part of a 17-day NYC tour to raise awareness about refugee children, Little Amal visited the Lower East Side and the East Village on Wednesday.

EVG contributor Stacie Joy was on Suffolk Street outside the Clemente Soto Vélez Center with the crowds who came to see the 12-foot-tall puppet of a 10-year-old Syrian refugee named Little Amal.

Here's more via ABC News:

Created in 2021, the puppet represents a 10-year-old Syrian refugee from Aleppo searching for her mother. In Arabic, Amal means "hope," and the hope behind the larger-than-life puppet is to make sure nobody forgets about the children fleeing war, violence and oppression around the world.

It's estimated that Little Amal has reached more than 1 million people in-person with her artistic and commanding presence, traveling over 5,500 miles and visiting over 12 countries. She began her journey on the Syrian-Turkish border, then crossed Turkey, Greece, Italy, Belgium, France, Germany, United Kingdom, and even visited refugee children in Lviv, Ukraine.

Her message: "Don't forget about us."

As previously noted, it takes four puppeteers to bring Little Amal to life: one on each arm, one supporting her back and one inside walking on stilts. Little Amal Walks NYC is a co-production between The Walk Productions and St. Ann’s Warehouse in association with Handspring Puppet Company. 

Little Amal's NYC trip ends on Sunday.