It's Not an Experience ... It's My Life
When I decided to quit my career as pharmacist and work on youth projects, I had the willingness to make a change. Continuously, I felt that I have the potential to contribute to giving happiness to others. Happiness in Palestine is a difficult thing. I worked, challenged and succeeded. I am proud that I have undergone this experience, which shaped my personality and gave me the power to be proud of the efforts I made with my work team in the three projects.
I am proud that I have followed and still following and working with more than 1000 children in Gaza city. Within the framework of Family’s Centers project funded by Save the Children (Sweden) and by a qualified team, we provided these children with educational activities including tutoring in mathematics and English language. I am also proud that I have also followed up more than 7000 female children in North Gaza Strip who were provided with recreational, educational and cultural activities. These activities were implemented through the Summer Games project funded by UNRWA. Not to mention my pride and happiness for implementing psychological and cultural support sessions for around 150 children in Beit Lahia. These sessions came within the framework of the Capacity Building Initiative, which aimed at promoting and defending youth and children’s rights in Gaza Strip funded by the Italian Cooperation.
Thinking of these activities and the smiles drawn on the Palestinian children’s faces, who definitely deserve these smiles, make me extremely proud. Today, as a result of and following the closure of Sharek Youth Forum, I wonder about the reasons that made Gaza Government take the decision of this closure! Do all that mentioned in news agencies, forums and blogs and all threats and insults we received while closing the headquarters proportional with the crime we committed? The crime we, the young persons, is that we worked for an idea and we were present strongly at all levels in the field.
I am not going to write about any project implemented by Sharek Youth Forum in Gaza Strip. I am specifically concerned in my experience as a member and staff of the Forum. I say yes, I do deserve this attack against our ethics, professionalism, nationalism and everything. I deserve the decision issued by the attorney general, which ended my services and deprived thousands of children and youth of the activities provided to them. I admit that I deserve this fierce campaign because I hold in my hands the brains of thousands of children. Within an hour and during four field visits to the organizations we provide their children with activities, I can create a children revolution against this decision. The Government in Gaza is quite aware of the dimensions of what we are doing on the Palestinian street and for that reason it has frozen our works. It is fully aware that I have the ability to put in the hearts of the future generations the spirit of disobedience. I have never wanted to manipulate our revolutionary, national, intellectual, cultural or social cause. Nevertheless, as a Palestinian girl, I find myself in confrontation with a damned executioner whipping me and focusing the eyes of the closed society and decayed brains on unspecific accusations. It is ridiculous that the attorney general issues a decision for reserved reasons. It is also ridiculous to be forced out of our offices and having our personal bags searched without any legal justifications and grounds. At that moment, the power of weapon was the law.
My question to all the Palestinian youth, how long we have to keep silent! If our voice a crime we have to be sued accordingly?
