12-foot-tall puppet parades through Downtown Pittsburgh to raise awareness for refugee children

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- "Little Amal," a 12-foot-tall puppet of a 10-year-old Syrian refugee, paraded through Downtown Pittsburgh on Wednesday.

Pittsburgh Public Theater said Amal was created to symbolize the millions of refugees around the world who have been driven from their homes. The free public performance "Take the Jitney Train" was created to show that refugee children have dreams and potential too. 

WATCH: "Little Amal" walks through Downtown Pittsburgh

The parade stepped off at noon, walking from Pittsburgh Public Theater to the August Wilson Center. 

The puppet is currently on a world tour, walking 6,000 miles across the U.S. The Amal Fund aims to raise $5 million to help refugee children. 

Little Amal's website says the puppet has four more appearances in Pittsburgh: one on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. followed by performances Thursday at 10 a.m., noon and 5 p.m. Then the puppet will head to Cincinnati, with dozens of shows across the nation scheduled through November.