These Syrian Children Are Hoping That Pokémon Will Finally Bring The Help They Need

The pictures are the latest in a string of banners that the people of the city of Kanfrabel have sent into the world, trying to draw attention to the plight of Syrians.

A set of pictures of children asking to be rescued while holding pictures of Pokémon has gone viral, the latest in a string of pleading pictures from Syria.

The series' explosion in popularity comes just one day after #PrayforSyria was the top trending topic worldwide on Twitter.

Syrian children holding Pokemon photos in hopes the world will find them and save them

One tweet collecting all four children's pictures has been already been retweeted thousands of times.

The pictures, taken in the villages of Kafranbel and Kafer-Zaita, are both simple and devastating.

"I'm from Kafer Zaita, save me," these two read.

Kafranbel in particular has made a name for itself with a slew of posters designed to catch the eye of the English-speaking world since 2011, just months into Syria's civil war.

In 2013, villagers from Kanfranbel sent their condolences to victims of the Boston bombings. The next year, they mourned the loss of Robin Williams.

And children from the village posted this video pleading for the US to begin airstrikes against Syrian president Bashar al-Assad's forces back in 2013 as well.

View this video on YouTube

youtube.com

The US has since begun strikes, but against ISIS, not Assad's regime.

They aren't the only ones who've been trying to use Pokémon's recent resurgence to draw attention to Syria's crisis.

Syria's #Pokemon are Sad and Die of Starvation #Syria https://t.co/r32uhleSiV

It's one that has only gotten more dire over the years as more than 4.8 million people have fled the country entirely and another 6.6 million displaced inside Syria still. Relief efforts have been chronically underfunded — only 26% of the requested $3.2 billion has been provided to the United Nations as of July.

"The world has become obsessed with this video game, so I told myself why not use it as a medium to convey our suffering," graphic designer Saif Tahhan told Al-Arabiya.

"Everyone is now searching for Pokemon, however, Syrians are searching for the basic necessities of life. Honestly, I don't think the world feels for us."

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