Migrant Children’s Drawings From Hungary Train Station
Children among the hundreds of asylum seekers crammed into a bleak passageway under Budapest’s Keleti train station, the scene of migrant protests, draw to pass the time before their families travel on—if the Hungarian authorities allow it—to the richer countries of Northern and Western Europe to settle. With markers, crayons and colored pencils donated by volunteers, they work quietly in small groups, squatting or sitting on the ground.
Their pictures show homes left behind, the often horrible experiences they endured and some of their dreams of a better, peaceful future.
"We want real life," writes Ahmed Reshad, a 20-year-old from Kapisa province of Afghanistan, east of Kabul, when he gets hold of one of the sheets handed out to dozens of children in the subterranean passages.
Mitra, 8, from Afghanistan
Her drawing depicts how happy she was in Afghanistan.
Walit, 9, from Syria
His drawing shows firing helicopters, tanks and dead people. He wants to become a policeman when he grows up.
Ehsan, 10, from Afghanistan
His drawing "is in the future. My father works. The car is yellow since it's a cab. That's the cab my father will drive in Austria," he says.
Riham, 11, from Syria
Her drawing shows pink helicopters, a falling bomb and a man shooting at another with a rifle.
Rama, 13, from Syria
Her drawing shows that she misses her best friend, a Palestinian girl, Zenab.
Morteza, 9, from Afghanistan
He says about his drawing: "This is a dream, our house in Austria, with a swimming pool. I love this dream."
Amina, 10, from Syria
Her drawing is of her home, which she loves and misses much.
Mohanned, 3, from Syria
His drawing depicts an airplane with falling bombs, a man who is lying on the ground bleeding, two people shooting at each other and two knives.
Maryam, 10, from Afghanistan
This is my house and the garden in the future.
Hadi, 10, from Afghanistan
He says his drawing, which has "Help" written over it, shows two people "crying because they have nothing and they had to come to Hungary."
Unknown, 12, from Afghanistan
His drawing depicts his home there.
Fahin, 5, from Afghanistan
His drawing shows rain, a police car and a man.
Kirisma, 7, from Afghanistan
Her family wants to go to Germany.
Shouq, 11, from Syria
She says she would like to go back to Syria, which she misses. The pink house on the left is her home.
Hosiar, 5, from Syria
His drawing depicts his home, with two apple trees and two cars in the mountains in Aleppo, Syria.
