A heartbreaking image of little Aylan Kurdi, the three-year-old Syrian boy found facedown on a Turkish beach, rattled the world this week, bringing fresh awareness to the horrors refugees are facing in the desperate flight from conflict and poverty.
The latest report from the United Nations Thursday revealed a startling statistic: More than 13 million children from the Middle East and North Africa have been prevented from attending school because of “surging conflict and political upheaval.”
Some of those kids are far from home, stranded at a train station in Budapest, where some area residents are doing their best to bring them a little joy and comfort. Local officials have blocked their passage (many of the refugees seek safe harbor in Germany).
Amid that chaos, here are some of the faces of those children, smiling and just being kids—thanks to compassionate citizens who are finding small ways to help.