Hundreds of children, along with their parents, gathered in Üsküdar Square with brushes and paints in hand to draw the stolen dreams of their Palestinian peers on a one-kilometer-long canvas. They reflected the dreams and hopes they carry onto the pure white canvas for their Palestinian brothers and sisters, whose homes, dreams, hopes, and lives have been stolen. At the end of the day, the giant painting, featuring a myriad of different dreams created by a thousand hands, was lifted into the air by our volunteers and the participating children. Dozens of red balloons representing the children's dreams were also released into the sky.
In the event, the drawings of our President of the Board Merve Çirişoğlu were included to draw attention to the genocide in Palestine. Our Board Member Melike Saka spoke on behalf of our association, emphasizing once again that we stand with Palestinian children.
"Today, as İyilikhane Association for Children, we are here with our volunteers to be the voice of Palestinian children and to paint their stolen dreams together with the children.
We all know that in the past three weeks, the number of children who lost their lives in Gaza has approached 4,000 and more than 7,000 children have been injured, and many are under the rubble. This number is higher than the number of children killed in conflicts in more than 20 countries worldwide over the past four years!
As civil society organizations working for the benefit of children, we should be working to improve children's rights to education, health, and play. However, today, we find ourselves advocating for the basic right to live for Palestinian children, which is the fundamental right of all children without exception. In order to talk about the well-being of children, we must first ensure their survival.
In the face of Israel's genocide that knows no rules, laws, or limits, we strive to do our best under every circumstance. We believe that when children reach a sky where bombs do not fall, we will be there with everyone on the side of goodness to rebuild the dreams of Palestinian children.
We send greetings to everyone who stands against this oppression with their hands, language and heart, without discrimination of any religion, language, or race."