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| Ayat and Aziz with other children after handing over the donations they collected Photo: Rafif Ben Messalem |
"When I noticed a 'support Gaza' appeal on TV, I really wanted to donate", says 11-year-old Aziz. "But I didn't have any money, so I told my sister about it and she agreed to start a campaign to collect donations from others in the village." The campaign aimed at supporting the people of Gaza who have been affected by the armed conflict that started on 27 December 2008 and continued for 23 days.
Ayat, 13, was the first to donate: she gave away all the pocket money she had been saving to buy an MP4 without a second thought. Ayat and Aziz are biological siblings and have been living at SOS Children's Village Qodsaya in Syria since 2003.
Spreading the word from door to door
Aziz and Ayat shared their idea with their SOS mother, Alia, who praised their commitment and encouraged them to start the drive. "Together we drafted a letter to inform the mothers and children about the initiative and request donations. Ayat and Aziz went from door to door in the village the next day to distribute the letter and collect money," says Alia.
"This was not the first time we collected and donated money at the village to help others," the SOS mother stresses, "but it was the first time the children started and led the initiative. I was so happy and touched when Aziz and Ayat came to me with the proposal. We have been working very hard in the village to nurture the spirit of giving, responsibility and empathy amongst our children and this certainly shows we're getting there."
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| Regional director Sebastian Corti receives donations from Ayat - Photo: Rafif Ben Messalem |
"They would have done the same for us"
Many others in the village were just as eager as Alia's children to help. Thirteen year-old Amira, who lives in another family house, embraced the idea wholeheartedly, donating almost all she had been saving. "I'm sure the children of Gaza would have helped us if it had been the other way round, if we had been in their place. I'm grateful for the chance to express my solidarity and support," she says.
Village director Mamoon Kadkoy adds, "Their contribution to humanitarian work and ability to feel with others is very important. I'm so proud of what the children have done. All this was their own initiative and they deserve the credit and appraisal. This proves that they are well aware of and engaged in their surroundings and also able to express and act upon their feelings very well."
The campaign gains momentum
The campaign's popularity grew quickly, prompting all co-workers of SOS Children's Villages Syria to give one day's worth of their salaries (some offered even more) to the cause. In the end, the children had collected collected an amazing 87,000 Syrian pounds (USD 1,800).
Ayat and Aziz, along with two other children who had supported the campaigntirelessly, visited the regional office for SOS Children's Villages Middle East in Damascus to hand over the amount. The gains of the campaign will be used to help neighbours of the SOS Children's Village Rafah and those participating in the family strengthening programme of SOS Children's Villages in the Gaza Strip.