ReliefWeb

To help youth restore a sense of normality into their lives and reach their full potential, UNICEF supports vocational training opportunities for young people across the country.

In Assafirah in sourthern rural Aleppo, most girls are out-of-school. While some were forced to quit their learning to help their mothers with chores and tend to younger siblings, others had to work in farms to help their families put bread on the table. One of these girls is 19-year-old Sabah.

Sabah wad forced out-of-school after completing Grade 6. She used to spend her days helping her family with house work, and her leisure time watching TV. She had no hobbies and never thought about her future. So when she first heard about the UNICEF-supported activities for youth through volunteers who went door-to-door to tell young people about these opportunities, she was eager to sign up for one of the vocational training courses.

Sabah was able to convince her family to let her enroll in a sewing training of 25 sessions, where she learned how to use a sewing machine and the basics of tailoring. Sabah used her new-found talent to make clothes for her young nieces.

“I was so proud to be able to make them beautiful dresses with my own hands!” says Sabah with a big smile.

At the end of the training, Sabah and her colleagues came up with an idea to help disadvantaged families in their community, using the skills they learned through the course.

“We wanted children in our village to have new summer clothes and we knew that most of our relatives, friends and neighbors cannot afford to buy new clothes for their children,” continues Sabah proudly.

With funding provided by UNICEF, the ten girls rushed to the local market with a long shopping list of different colorful fabrics, buttons and accessories and spent ten full days working on the project.

“We worked nearly all day but our happiness overcame our tiredness,” Sabah

The girls then identified vulnerable families and invited them to what they called a “clothing fair”, an event they planned in a local school where they displaced clothes just like in a shop. Families could enter by showing the invitation card at the door and had the liberty to choose whatever they wanted for their children.

“We didn’t want families to feel like we were handing out clothes to them, we wanted to maintain their dignity and freedom to choose whatever they liked!” continues Sabah.

The girls’ initiative provided 300 children with new summer clothes, proving the girls’ impact on their community.

“The initiative did not only help disadvantaged families. It also helped us, girls, we grew more confident in our capabilities and what we can offer to our community,” Sabah

Seven years of conflict, displacement and depletion of financial resources have taken a toll on communities across Syria. Young people in particular are among the most vulnerable of their communities. Thousands of young people were forced out-of-school to become breadwinners for their families, while many girls were forced into early marriage.

To help youth restore a sense of normality into their lives and reach their full potential, UNICEF supports vocational training opportunities for young people across the country. In the conflict-affected southern suburbs of Aleppo, UNICEF implements its programme in 26 villages, allowing young people aged 15 to 24 to attend a variety of vocational training courses, including electricity and mobile phone maintenance, sewing and embroidery, hair dressing, computer skills and English language courses in 4 centres. The programme aims to help youth to become productive through increasing their employability.