INTERNATIONAL: When Shaimaa al-Abasi was just a child, war drove her and her family to a displaced people’s camp, where she was forced to leave school and marry at a young age. Feeling her childhood was taken away from her, she now tries to bring happiness and joy to children facing difficult circumstances.

The 24-year-old woman says she never had a childhood, so she wanted to give it and plant it in these children. She arrives to the camp on a bike, dressed in Santa Claus or "Mother Christmas", sings and plays games with children, hands out gifts and reminds them to pursue their dreams despite the difficulty of displacement.

She says, "I come on my bike from the early morning until the evening, giving awareness to the poor and offering entertainment or emotional support, because our children in camps suffer greatly from displacement. Some have lost their fathers; others have been through tough circumstances or seen their mothers through wars. I am someone who experienced these kinds of things."

A father of four Ali Soliman says, "It is a lovely initiative; the children are so happy. We forget that children need someone to play with and make them happy. And you know the atmosphere of the camp now is cold weather and rain, the children are very cold and they need a clean place and clean environment."

Abasi has added, "Since I was a child, I saw children suffer. Since the age of 8 or 9, I started taking on great responsibility, larger than I could bear. I raised my young siblings, because of certain circumstances and my mother was sick. I was forced to leave school; I was forced to marry. At the same time, the circumstances leading to displacement made me care about children. I never had a childhood, so I wanted to give it and plant it in these children."

Abasi began her initiative in 2015, at first only wearing a Santa hat. By 2017, she would fully dress as Mother Christmas, and last year she took her festive spirit to Mosul.