Syrian Children Are Seeking the Help of Pokémon to Save Them From the Horrors of War

Pokémon Go has continued to take the world by storm, generating millions in revenue for its creators and fulfilling childhood dreams for its fans. Its popularity has also taken over social media news feeds and even mainstream news headlines in recent weeks since its launch in July 6.

With news outlets giving the game so much attention, refugee advocates are hoping Syrian children in war-torn communities will also get noticed in some way with the help of Pikachu.

The Revolutionary Forces of Syria Media Office recently uploaded several pictures of impoverished children living in Syria on Twitter. The photos show the kids holding images of popular Pokémon characters with messages asking for people to “come save me.” The powerful images, which speak for themselves, raise the question, “What about me?”

According to The Guardian, social activist Taim Shami spearheaded the project to draw part of the attention being given to Pokémon Go and attract international attention to the children’s plight.

  

Several children on the photographs are reportedly located near the cities of Hama and Idlib. The locations, currently held by forces opposed to the president, Bashar al-Assad, have been for years the site of heavy fighting and destruction caused by bombardment.