Two years ago, on 2 September 2015, the world woke up to a shocking image of a Syrian toddler washed up on the shores of a beach in the Mediterranean Sea, near Bodrum, Turkey.
The boy's name was Alan Kurdi. He and his family were Syrian refugees trying to reach Europe amid the European refugee crisis.
As a result, the international community, people from all walks of life, races and religions, came together to stand in solidarity with refugees.
Photographs of his body were taken by Turkish journalist Nilüfer Demir and quickly spread around the world, prompting international responses.
September 2nd marks Alan Kurdi’s death anniversary.
Alan’s heartbreaking story opened people’s eyes and souls to the plight of refugees around the world and united everyone in supporting them.
Unfortunately, today, children represent half of the globally displaced persons and the clear effects the hardship has on their lives is unparalleled.
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has launched a new campaign titled "#VOICE4ALAN" to remind everyone that September 2nd is a day where action needs to be taken for the betterment of the refugee situation around the world.
"It is the day we commemorate Alan Kurdi and the millions of refugee children who still live in turmoil," wrote the official spokesperson for UNHCR in the UAE.
"It’s time to commemorate Alan and all refugees who lost their lives as they took to making dangerous journeys across land and sea in their search for safety, security and a better future," the press release read.
Remember the name. Remember the day.
The refugee crisis in numbers:
• 79% of refugees in the Middle East and North Africa are women and children
• Every half an hour, 35 children become refugees in the middle east and North Africa
• Half of the world’s refugees are children
• As of April 2017, the number of refugees and internally displaced persons in the region is 14,874,150.
In the first half of 2017 (January - June) alone, over 105,000 refugees and migrants entered Europe via the three Mediterranean routes and over 2,290 are thought to have died along land and sea routes while undertaking the dangerous journeys usually necessary to cross borders.
For more information and to help UNHCR keep Alan’s cause alive, you can visit the official web page and sign up as a #Voice4Alan.
Alternatively, you can download the Google Chrome plugin to show solidarity and support.