Displacement Cannot Extinguish Hope; Raghad Al-Ghossein
Despite the endless suffering in Gaza, we are determined to maintain hope, steadfastness, and resilience. We deeply believe that a shining light is at the end of the long, dark, tunnel.
As a 21-year-old student pursuing my education in media studies, I strive to achieve my goals with great dedication. However, in a short time, this war disrupted the plans that I had been working on for years. But being Raghad, I firmly believe that hope remains. This is why I embrace the motto “Together Towards Hope,” which is the name of the network I made every effort to join, consisting of 20 young leaders across the Gaza Strip.
Along with other passionate youth, I had to pass a competitive interview process and proudly made it to the final stage. This network is part of a project implemented by the Social Developmental Forum (SDF) in partnership with the Youth Advisory Panel (YAP) and funded by UNICEF. It aims to enhance educational and well-being opportunities for children and adolescents.
The project focuses on fostering youth’s role during emergencies through community initiatives to address education-related challenges. increase societal awareness and knowledge, we lead awareness workshops to educate our peers about this critical issue (suspension of education).
A Challenging but Rewarding kick-off!
The first day of the network’s capacity-building training was challenging; I struggled to “commute” to get to the training location, even through a donkey cart. The training was packed with valuable content about designing and leading community initiatives under challenging circumstances and lack of resources.
Despite the escalated displacement challenges, my colleagues and I completed the intensive training sessions that introduced us to humanitarian work principles, effective engagement with children and youth during crises, community leadership, planning, and leading community interventions during emergencies. Guided by a skilled trainer, the sessions were engaging and included recreational activities, which were brilliantly customized to our current situation, enabling us to communicate this knowledge to children and youth in displacement centers through sensitive and non-traditional methods.
Balancing Fear and Perseverance
Given the unstable security situation, the experience was a unique mix of enjoyment and fear; traveling to training locations or implementing activities in displacement camps was not easy. Yet, every training session brought feelings of hope, pride, and triumph, surviving the war, being displaced, and working toward a better reality.
Indeed, It was scary for us to move from our displacement locations using donkey carts, dilapidated cars, or crowded Tuk-tuks. Yet, this reaffirmed my belief that the greatest achievement is the ability to persevere with passion despite hardships; among deep dark pain, hope can find its way.
