Reports | 25 05 2020
Suwayda was never far from the cycle of war in Syria. This war has, however, failed to prevent the provinces' youth to challenge its bitter reality. The role of civil society organizations was of great importance which, through a number of events and initiatives, was instrumental in the promotion of entrepreneurship and self-development self.
Juzoor [Roots] Association, is a team comprising several local civic volunteer associations in Suwayda. Their initiative "Together, we will make it beautiful," included a volunteer work day for the rehabilitation and revival of the Yarmouk public park, in the city.
Ayham Azzam, one of the organizers, sees that this initiative has left a positive imprint among the local people. He says: "When the initiative was firstly proposed, we immediately studied its potential."
He adds: "This garden was designed to be an urgan oasis, yet it had been disused. The goal of the project was to inject volunteer thought and create some kind of positive activity. The number of volunteers reached 50 people, and work was divided into two days—one working day and an opening. Tjose who attended the opening, praised the work that was performed."
Annother initiative entitled "Your smile is our Eid [Islamic Holiday]," was launched in the al-Mazraa town in the Suwayda countryside. This comprised sixty volunteers, as well as the participation of three hundred children, and the townspeople.
The activities inclued games and recreational activities for children, in addition to the competitions in and gift distribution.
Shady Saab, one of the participants, confirms that this event is not a charity but a social development project which is for children. It was held before Eid al-Adha, to help plant some joy into the hearts of needy young people, despite the ongoing war.
He adds that the initiative "was launched al-Mazraa's expatriates with recreational games and activities geared for children, with gifts distributed at the end. Feedback was very positive. It is not an act of charity but a social developmental work."
These civic initiatives were greatly welcome by the locals, who considered that they contribute to the dissemination of the concepts of citizenship and belonging, promote a culture of collaboration, and positively impact local development work. Many of them stressed their willingness to participate in any upcoming events or initiatives.
Abu Samer, father of one of the children involved in the "Your smile is our Eid" activity welcomed such activities, saying: "It was a wonderful day. It helped enter joy to the hearts of the children in this war, and the interaction between the participating children was wonderful. Everyone supports such events. We thank the young people who organized this event and accomplished a great job!"
From the midst of this war an artery of hope is pulsing, continuing to feed the spirit of those young people, in order to fight on their own frontline, free from the noise of cannons, machine guns, and other killing machine, equipped with love and tenderness.