It鈥檚 been three years since young Syrian boy Alan Kurdi died while crossing the Aegean Sea and the images of his lifeless body on a Turkish beach sparked an outcry around the world.
Since Alan鈥檚 death, his aunt Tima Kurdi -- who paid for the family's doomed journey to Europe -- has used the tragedy to promote positive change for children affected by the Syrian refugee crisis.
鈥淔or my nephew, he was only two years old -- he was a happy boy and he had hope -- but was too young to communicate his hope. So for me, after his death, in his memory we decided that we would help the children affected by war no matter what,鈥� said Kurdi in an interview with CTV News Channel.
Eleven refugees died in the September 2015 tragedy, including Kurdi鈥檚 brother Abdullah's wife, Rehanna, and his two young boys, Ghalib and Alan. In Ghalib and Alan鈥檚 honour, Kurdi created the Kurdi Foundation to provide aid including nutritious meals, school supplies, clothing, and medicine to youth in refugee camps.
鈥淧eople are tired of this war鈥� [Kids] are born at this camp, they go to school at the camp, they don鈥檛 know anything beyond the gated fence,鈥� said Kurdi. 鈥淚t鈥檚 very important to focus on helping those innocent children and help give them the lives they deserve like everyone in the world.鈥�
Kurdi said what the Syrian community wants most is peace, but she doesn鈥檛 believe that鈥檚 possible without international pressure.
鈥淭he world leaders need to sit down at the table and negotiate a peaceful solution so people can go home and rebuild their lives,鈥� said Kurdi.
The struggles her family faced as Syria plunged into civil war is the subject of her recent memoir "The Boy on the Beach: A Syrian Family's Story of Love, Loss and Hope During the Global Refugee Crisis." She hopes her book furthers awareness of the plight of refugees.
