Sama won the Asian Girls Special Award in 2019 for her resilience and strength in comforting young Syrian boys and girls refugees who have fled war and are displaced in Turkey.

Born in Damascus, Sama Hejazi took to the street in 2011 at the age of 8 during the Syrian Revolution and chanted “we want freedom” followed by a group of demonstrators. Her mother, also a fierce advocate, had been arrested by the Syrian authorities a few days ago, and Sama felt her age and her gender were no longer boundaries to her. She had to make her voice heard.

3 years later, her family had settled in Turkey. As she had always been gifted with music, she played her guitar and took up piano as a way to find comfort while settling in to her new country. Sama realized playing music brings comfort not just to her, but also the children who also have just fled the traumatic war in their hometown Syria.

“Syrian children cannot speak Turkish, when they hear Turkish they feel anxious. But music is a world language, I accompany them with my guitar and help them adjust to moving into a new country.”

During her grand tour as an Asian Girls Ambassador in Taiwan, she left a lasting impression on girls and the Taiwanese public. “We are all here today to show the world that Asian girls are not weak. They have the capacity to make freedom,” Sama said at her reception of the award.

As she embarked on her ambassadorial duties, Sama continued exploring the capacity of empowering children and women through music. She has continued to teach music to displaced children, formed an Asian Girls Syrian Team, led a women’s choir’s group and kept close ties with the Taiwan Office in Turkey.