Follow the incredible story of nine year old Syrian refugee Mahmoud.
In 2012, Mahmoud and his family fled their hometown of Aleppo, in Syria, as civil war raged in the country.They settled in Egypt, renting a small flat in the suburbs of Cairo. Not long afterwards though, with the huge unrest in the country and subsequent removal of President Mohamed Morsi, public opinion turned against Syrians seeking refuge in Egypt. Mahmoud became the victim of bullies and was physically attacked. Afraid and unable to attend school, the young boy refused to leave his family's apartment. "I wanted to leave because there is no school here and I don't have friends," Mahmoud said in 2013."They hit me all the time."
Mahmoud's father Mohamed Farid also saw no future for his eldest child in Egypt and eventually took the harrowing decision to put his son on an illegal boat to Italy, alone.
"No one sends their son out into the world alone unless they live in real fear. Our lives are too difficult here."
However, the boat Mahmoud took was fired upon before it even left Egyptian waters. The young boy then spent the next five days in a detention centre without his family. When he returned to Cairo the bullying resumed but he remained resolute.
"I have a dream that one day we will have a new house in a better place. I will go to school and make new friends," the incredible young boy declared.
Watch the next part of Mahmoud's story: http://youtu.be/xZPDNS9260Q
Read about Mamoud's journey: http://rfg.ee/vUXBe
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