Addie Tinholt asked for something a little different for her eighth birthday this week.

The home-schooled Vancouver girl wants to sponsor a refugee family from Syria, having watched videos of refugees fleeing the wartorn country shown to her by her mom.

“I’m really sad because it just showed that it’s millions of people running away from their houses, have no place to stay. All they have is the clothing on their back,” Addie said in an interview with CBC News.

She has met with Green Party Leader Elizabeth May and her local NDP and Liberal candidates to drum up support for her cause, and draws inspiration from Pakistani youth activist Malala Yousafzai, who won the Nobel Peace Prize last year at age 17 for her advocacy on behalf of girls’ and women’s education.

“More than 50 per cent of the Syrian refugees are children who have lost everything,” Addie said.