More than 12,000 kilometres from Australia, in a small town in Jordan, nine-year-old Syrian refugees Ayman and twin brother Anas Tahleh began drawing pictures of kangaroos and koalas to lift the spirits of Australian bushfire victims.

Key points: Refugee children from the art therapy group in Jordan had tears in their eyes when told about the bushfires in Australia

Refugee children from the art therapy group in Jordan had tears in their eyes when told about the bushfires in Australia They came up with the idea to send drawings of love to those affected by the fires

They came up with the idea to send drawings of love to those affected by the fires Despite facing their own tragedies and challenges, refugee children often show high levels of empathy with others, an ANU study shows

While there are no kangaroos where they live, they could still picture animals living among the lush green and gold landscapes in outback Australia.

Anas and Ayman first heard about the out-of-control bushfires that shook Australia in their group art therapy classes.

They, along with several other refugee children, said they were devastated when they heard how bad the fires had impacted the Australian people and wildlife.

"It is unbelievable how fires could go for weeks. I hope it rains a lot," Anas said.

The children take art therapy classes in a community centre in Amman to help them cope with the trauma they have faced after fleeing the Syrian war.

Their counsellor said she was surprised to see how they reacted when she talked to them about the fires.

Anas Tahleh writes 'save Australia' on the group drawing. ( Supplied: CARE Australia )

"They were all emotionally affected, and you could see the tears in some children's eyes. The amazing thing was that all of them were thinking of a way to help," CARE psychological counsellor Arwa al-Hafez said.

The children came up with the idea of drawing pictures to cheer up the families and children affected by the devastation.

"Can we do something about this? I'm so sad to see this," Ayman said.

Record-breaking temperatures and months of drought fuelled a bushfires crisis across Australia that began in November last year and went on into the new year.

Nearly 11 million hectares were burned, thousands of homes were destroyed and hundreds of millions of animals were killed. While the majority of the fires have been put out, many families are still without a home, and many communities are only just starting to rebuild.

The drawings were sent to communities devastated by bushfires. ( Supplied: CARE Australia )

Aid agency CARE said it had sent the children's drawings to primary schools and community organisations in bushfire-affected areas.

"Many generous Australians have donated to our Syria relief efforts over the years, so it's great to be able to send that message of support back the other way too," CARE humanitarian and emergency response manager Rachel Routley said.

Children have never seen their homeland

Syrian refugee children came up with the idea to send messages of hope along with the drawings to Australians suffering from the bushfires. ( Supplied: CARE Australia )

Ayman and Anas know what it is like to be without a home. They never had the chance to see their homeland in Syria because their family fled their home in Aleppo when their mother was pregnant with them in 2011 — a time when the violence in Syria was at its peak.

"My mum keeps on telling me lots of stories about our home in Aleppo, and I feel sad when I see bombs and fires [on TV] and my older brother and sisters tell me it's our neighbourhood," Ayman said.

They came to Jordan, where they were born. However, as refugees, Ayman and Anas face lots of challenges.

They can only go to school in the afternoon, because Jordanian schools are having to operate in shifts to cope with demand.

Like many Syrian children, their future is uncertain and have to cope with living in a state of limbo.

Syrian refugees in Jordan find it difficult to get a job after resettling, with more than three quarters believing it would also be impossible to return to Syria, according to CARE analysis.

Refugee children have high levels of empathy, study shows

The Australian ambassador to Jordan, Miles Armitage (left), was one of the many who saw the drawings by the refugee children. ( Supplied: CARE Australia )

Research from the Australian National University has shown refugee children living with trauma can have high levels of empathy and feelings of responsibility for others due to how trauma manifests in their lives after displacement.

Many children who drew the pictures said they could not believe how badly the fires impacted animals, while others said they wished they could volunteer to help put out the fires.

Many Australians were left without a home after the fires — a very similar experience to displaced Syrian children.

While some Syrian refugees have returned to their home country, UNHCR has found that the necessary conditions for safe voluntary return are not yet in place in Syria, meaning many cannot safely go back.

Syrian refugees take art classes to cope with the trauma they suffer after displacement. ( Supplied: CARE Australia )

Proper education and access to primary education remains a challenge for refugee populations in Jordan.

Though research has suggested more school-aged Syrian children are attending school this year than last, one third of Syrian refugee children in Jordan are still not enrolled in either formal or informal educational systems.

"Some figures are shocking and show how deep the crisis is. We must ensure that children, many of whom have experienced so much hardship, violence and displacement, are protected and educated, so that the future generation is not lost." CARE country director in Jordan Ammar Abu Zayyad said.

The CARE aid agency has called the Syrian crisis is "the biggest humanitarian emergency of our time", with more than 470,000 people dead, up to 6.2 million displaced within the country and 5 million as refugees in neighbouring countries.