Girl scouts in a war zone

Nisaa Fm:- From Damascus and Hama to Aleppo and the seaside city of Latakia, through six years of war in which hundreds of thousands of people have lost their lives and more than 12 million have been forced from their homes, the Girl scouts of Syria have continued.

This week, the Syrian girl scouts will become an official member of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts.

When we organize meetings at times it’s more difficult than at other times, but we’re getting through,” says Zain, 22, a scout leader, from Damascus. “The main problem with finding safe areas is when we want to go camping there aren’t as many safe spaces.”

Alongside going camping, singing and playing games, the girl scouts in Syria are educated on issues such as body confidence and preventing violence against women.  Sessions on gender-based violence are provided for the girls. These sessions involve boy scouts as well as groups of girls, says Zain. “[We make sure] girls understand what their rights are, but it’s also very important boys understand this as well.We teach [boys] to respect women, care and defend them.We teach both genders to care for each other, and do their best to stop the violence when they see it happening.”

The Syrian scouts collaborate with Red Crescent and the UN, where they provide psycho-social support to young people traumatized by the war. Each year a camp is held for children of deceased soldiers. “Some of them have been displaced, they left where they lived and migrated to another city. Some others have experienced the difficulty of seeing someone shot or killed in front of them,”says Rim,commissioner and board member of Scouts of Syria.One of 'Scouts of Syria’s’ main aims, Rim explains, is to teach girls about their roles as good citizens. “It’s about discussing with them their role in the country. Then they are motivated and they believe in the idea of staying.”

Source: Bbc new, The guardian