Currently, Atrush is involved in a project to open five underground recreation centers in the al Sakhour, Salah al Deen, al Sekary, al Amriyeh and Zaytounat neighborhoods of Aleppo.
Each recreation center will include a theater, library, and activity hall for reading, drawing and other programs. Atrush said they are also working on acquiring information systems, laptops and projectors for showing short movies and cartoons that teach the children beneficial messages, unlike the ones that are shown on Syrian TV.
Unfortunately, there are no toys left in Syria for stocking the five centers --- and the project’s limited budget does not allow funds for importing them from Turkey.
But the main idea behind the project is to provide a place for Syrian children to develop their talents and engage in activities that will free them of negative energy caused by the stress of living in a war zone where they are exposed to tanks and bombardments and too much shedding of blood.
The fear is that children who are deprived of their childhood are at risk of becoming an aggressive and violent generation in the future.
The formative years are an important time for building character and laying the foundations of education in the life of a child and unfortunately there are no longer any ideal schools, or school playgrounds, left in Syria. Most of them have been destroyed.
Atrush said that even though the underground environment is not the most physically healthy for children, it is the best option open to those whose priority is protecting the lives of children and providing them with a sense of security.
“Half of Aleppo’s schools converted to underground, first floors or basements to avoid risking children to danger,” he said.
“The idea of establishing safe centers was in mind for some time but due to shortage of financial support we were unable to step forward,” Atrush explained. “Then a missile targeted the Salah al Deen neighborhood where some kids were playing in the streets and seven were martyred. I was overwhelmed with grief for the children and the fact that it was possible that a child playing in front of his house could face death!”
“Facing this sad reality encouraged me to suggest this project to a group of people who then agreed to sponsor it.”
The initial stage of the project involves building the five centers.
“After we finish those centers, they will be handed to the local councils of those neighborhoods,” said Atrush. “Our main concern is providing places for children’s relief. Other organizations will actually run the centers and offer services such as psychological support and the development of additional equipment.”
The first center opened in Zaytounat on May 10 and Atrush said they bring 300 children from schools to the center to participate in activities that instill values, principles and ethics.
“We have a theatre where they gain confidence by performing scenes on stage; a sketch or piece of acting,” he said. He described a recent performance written and performed by the children that focused on polygamy. “They came up with the topic themselves, and all the dialogue was written by them.”
“Further activities like drawing, paper works, etc.…. All these things are important now,” he said. “The empowerment of children is important too but due to the difficult times we are living it’s not easy to work on. Before the Syrian uprising, there was a special school called “School of Activities” where every child who had special talent was able to develop it.” Special schools like this helped children to develop their own uniqueness which helps them to excel in life.
Salem al Atrush issued a plea to Syrians outside of Syria to stop making a business out of the revolution. The recreation center project is the work of volunteers and is being sponsored by the Al Baraa Foundation without any much needed support from outside Syria.
He asks that honest Syrians not withdraw their support due to bad figures. “Please look for good people and you will find them,” he said. “Imagine… our children in Syria have already forgotten the color of the sky and birds twittering.”
Fighting back tears Atrush added, “Half of the gardens became cemeteries --- and the other half are being prepared to accept more bodies. Seven kids were targeted by Assad jets where they were playing and they died. There are no places left for them to play in gardens."
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