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Aunt of dead Syrian boy Alan Kurdi: William and Kate must help refugees

The aunt of Alan Kurdi, the two-year-old Syrian boy whose body was found washed up on a beach last year, has told Sky News the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge should use "their power to deliver messages" to encourage the UK to take in more refugees.

Tima Kurdi spoke to Sky News at her home near Vancouver in Canada, as William and Kate met a family of Syrian refugees in the city, on the second day of their tour of the Commonwealth realm.

Asked what role the Royal couple could play in addressing the ongoing humanitarian crisis, Mrs Kurdi said: "They have the power to deliver messages and I hope when they see what we did in Canada it will inspire them, and when they go back home they will do something about it."

She also recalled the moment last September when she realised it was a photograph of her dead nephew Alan that was alerting the world to the scale of the crisis facing those leaving Syria.

She added: "I know what kind of situation they were fleeing from and it was very, very upsetting and I felt so angry, I want to scream to the world that enough is enough."

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William and Kate visited the Immigrant Services Society of British Columbia with Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife.

It is believed to be the first ever purpose-built facility designed to temporarily house, educate and medically treat refugees, offering 138 beds each night to families as large as a group of 16.

The Royal couple sat down and spoke with Alaa Al Mahameed, 36, and his wife Yosra, 35, who came to Canada with their daughters Reemas, three, and two-year-old Reetaj, after escaping the civil war in Syria and first going to Jordan.

Kate commented that it must have been very frightening with young children.

When Prince William asked whether their village had been destroyed, the translator replied that there had been "constant shelling and constant war".

The numbers of Syrian refugees taken in by Canada is staggering.

In just four months up to February this year, the country took in 25,000 people.

In about the same period, the UK only accepted 1,600.

The Home Affairs Select Committee now says it is highly unlikely the UK will reach the 20,000 figure promised by David Cameron by 2020.

But in Canada the number is set to grow to 44,000 by the end of this year, and Canadians are queuing up to take people in.

Chris Friesen, from the Immigrant Services Society, said: "Right at the moment Canadians across the country have submitted over 19,000 applications under our private sponsorship programme.

"We have a strong principle around voluntarism and civic engagement and giving back.

"And the refugee sponsorship programme is one way of doing that in a very tangible way.

"I think Canadians, like others around the world, were struck by Alan Kurdi's photo when that young boy was washed up on that beach."