A Syrian teenager made a strong plea Monday (December 4th) for the world to give refugees fleeing his country's war an opportunity, as he received the prestigious International Children's Peace Prize in The Hague, AFP reported.

"We just want people to give us a chance to prove ourselves," said Mohamad al-Jounde.

The 16-year-old's words came after yet another wave of Syrian airstrikes killed at least 25 civilians and wounded dozens across the besieged opposition enclave of Eastern Ghouta on Sunday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

"Mohamad receives the award for his tireless efforts to ensure the rights of Syrian refugee children," competition organisers KidsRights Foundation said.

Al-Jounde and his family built a school for 200 refugee children in a refugee camp in Lebanon where he taught math, English and photography.

"My message to people who do not want refugees to be there is we did not want to come either. But that is what war does," said al-Jounde, who now lives in Sweden with his mother and father.

"Start dealing with us as normal people, not as refugees or immigrants," he said.

In its 13th year, the prize is awarded annually "to a child who fights courageously for children's rights", KidsRights said. It also includes a $118,000 investment for projects in the winner's home country.