She has been pelted with stones in Greece, blessed by the pope at the Vatican, and danced with children from Paris to New York.

The centre of such attention: a 12-foot-tall puppet. The puppet’s name is Little Amal. Amal depicts a 10-year-old Syrian refugee. She’s the creation of the renowned Handspring Puppet Company. Handspring created Amal to highlight the plight of millions of displaced people, especially children, who have been forced to flee their homes because of violence and persecution.

Operated by four puppeteers, Little Amal began her walk across Europe in the summer of 2021, shortly after the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan that spurred a migration crisis in Europe. Since then, Amal has travelled to Turkey, Greece, Rome and France, as well as meeting with Ukrainian refugees in Poland. In September 2022, Amal spent 19 days touring New York, before going on to Germany, Belgium and the United Kingdom.

Amal has been seen by more than one million people in 85 cities in 12 countries and has covered almost 6,000 miles. Wherever Amal appears, thousands of people, especially children, come to walk and dance and have their pictures taken with her. Amal has also raised thousands of euros for food, shelter, medical services and educational opportunities for refugee children.

A few places would not let Amal in their community, protesting the presence of a “Muslim doll from Syria” (Amal’s religion has never been specified). At a few of her appearances, people pelted Little Amal with eggs and fruit — and even stones. But for the most part, Amal is welcomed with song and gifts for the most vulnerable among us.

Her presence is an invitation to embrace the meaning of her name — “Amal” is Arabic for hope.

“Amal” and her creators are “John the Baptizers” in these days of war and violence against innocent children; Amal reminds us of our responsibility to the displaced and marginalized. In our Advent care of others, we “proclaim” (the Greek word for “prophet”) the presence of God in our midst in our simple and ordinary acts of compassion, mercy and justice. This Advent calls us all to be to be signs of hope, revealing God’s presence in the darkest times, and enabling miracles of resurrection to take place here and now.