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Little Amal’s epic journey - 27th October 2021

This huge puppet is Little Amal. She has arrived in the English port of Folkestone after completing a journey of 8,000 kilometres. She's a symbol of the 33 million refugees who are forced to escape their homeland. Many of them are children who must travel to safety by themselves.

Little Amal's journey is called 'The Walk' and is an international festival of arts. So, in each of the 8 countries that she has passed through, people have gathered to play music and celebrate.

However, most refugees don't receive such a welcome on their terrible journey. British actor, Jude Law hopes that Little Amal will make people sympathise with child refugees.

Jude Law: "It just seemed the most brilliant way to celebrate, try and raise awareness and share with the people who have taken a similar path to little Amal. So I'm just here to support all of that and I'm really proud to be one of the first to welcome her here in the UK, which is my home."

At 3.5 metres, Little Amal is not so short. Amir Nizar Zuabi of the Handspring Puppet Company designed her, and Kevin Fitzmaurice is in charge of 'The Walk'. He explains the importance of her journey.

Kevin Fitzmaurice: "Amal, she is an art project at heart really, but I think the artists who have designed and built her and designed the whole project, I think it's really important for them that the humanitarian issues don't get forgotten in the political noise that's going on across the country and across the world at the moment."

Amal, which is Arabic for 'hope', had a party for her 10th birthday in London. The organisers of 'The Walk' have set up a fund in her name. They are fundraising to provide a hopeful future for young refugees.