Feature: Refugee children continue dreaming of better future in Europe

Before being evacuated, several children at the makeshift Idomeni refugee camp on Greece's northern border with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) shared their dreams of attending school and growing up in a peaceful environment far away from war.

Aya, 19, narrated how she received scars from bombs on her face and hands, and spoke of the psychological trauma of losing her father during a bombing three years ago. This prompted her mother and seven siblings to leave Syria and cross into Turkey and then Greece.

Her father was a construction worker. He wanted his kids to study and live a better life.

"After dad died, I went to university but I also had to go to hospital in Turkey for four months because my face burned by white phosphor," she said.

The young woman from Aleppo and her family have been through hell to reach safety in Europe. Hundreds of thousands of refugees like her have landed on Greece's shores since early 2015.

Living conditions at the muddy field of Idomeni, where they stayed for nearly months, were tragic. Sleeping in the open and queuing for several hours to get food and medical aid was not what they had in mind when they sold all their belongings back home to seek sanctuary in Europe.

Daily life in the tent they have been calling home over the past two weeks is still difficult. They are staying in the state hospitality center of Lagkadikia, which currently accommodates some 800 people, 100 km southeast of Idomeni.

"It is very hot in the tent in the morning. At night it is very cold. If there is rain all the clothes soak in water. The food is not bad," Aya said.

However, the strong-willed family keeps smiling and dreaming of a brighter tomorrow.

Aya and her family are among 55,000 refugees and migrants currently stranded in Greece who are hosted in 35 accommodation centers and informal camps across Greece, according to UNICEF.

Child refugees trapped in Greece have been out of school for an average of 1.5 years, according to a recent study by Save the Children organization.

Under a UNICEF program, Aya and other adult refugees at Lagkadikia have set up a classroom inside the camp teaching children English, Arabic and math. Toddlers also spend their time by singing songs, drawing and playing.

Mohammed, 9, had never attended school in Syria because the family was always on the move over the past five years, his father Asef said.

After reaching Samos island three months ago via Turkey, Mohammed and his parents ended up in Idomeni and then Lagkadikia where he is learning to read and write.

The small classroom at the camp is not the school they were dreaming about, but it is still better than the agony of hearing warplanes over your head during a day, hiding at home for a week before going back to class again scared and wondering whether your school will be hit the next time, Aya said.

Aya and her family were among the last group of refugees to enter Greece before the EU-Turkey was implemented, where new arrivals are hosted in camps awaiting their return to Turkey.

After the evacuation of Idomeni, their only hope is to join their relatives in Belgium or Germany via the official relocation program.

While they are waiting for an answer to their asylum request, they are planning their future.

"I don't know, but I hope to be a doctor. This was my dream in Syria after my dad died," Aya said, adding that over the past four years she had been working as a teacher and nurse.

Given a choice, she said she would prefer to stay and live in their homeland. "I prefer Syria but not in war," Aya said before saying goodbye with a song.

"If you are happy in your heart, clap your hands," the family sang, clapping their hands. Enditem