Sounds of Change in Syria
At the beginning of March, Sounds of Change trainers Sander van Goor and Lucas Dols went to Northeast Syria to train employees of six local partner organisations. The NGO 'Norwegian People's Aid' (NPA) asked us to contribute to their project 'Art for De-radicalisation'.
Sounds of Change was originally founded in response to the war in Syria. Our first projects in the Middle East were with Syrian refugees in Jordan and Lebanon. We have worked with numerous Syrians and now we were able to visit their country for the first time. Syria is a country we have heard and learned so much about during the past twelve years so it was an emotional journey that brought all these stories to life.
Our journey started in Erbil, the capital and most populated city in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. We travelled overland to the Syrian border crossing (NES), passing many Yezidi refugee camps along the way. Sander works with Yezidi children in the Netherlands and many of them have relatives living in the camps we passed. The border crossing was a pontoon bridge over the Tigris river, after which we continued our journey through Syria. We passed many pumps and oil fields, drove through beautiful villages and enjoyed the green landscape full of farms, cows and sheep.
After a long car ride we arrived in the town of Amuda, a few hundred metres from the Turkish border. Here we stayed in an NPA compound which was also the location from which we departed each day to give our training sessions.
Our visit was certainly appreciated by the local NPA staff and we were even invited to dinner with the family of one of the staff members, in the country side of Syria. During our stay we had more of these special encounters and conversations.
With their specialisation in trauma-sensitive work and the power of music, Sander and Lucas trained the NPA employees and six of their local partners (aid workers, teachers and psychologists) who work with women and children in the Al-Hawl camp, as well as other camps in the region.
Al-Hawl camp is located in the Al Hasakeh, the same governorate as Amuda.
More than 60,000 people who are victims of the Islamic State live in the overcrowded Al-Hawl camp and most of these are women and children. Many are traumatised, trapped in a hopeless situation and are therefore at risk from radicalisation. The ideological influence of IS is still present in the camp. The people staying in Al-Hawl have no access to a normal education and there is no reasonable prospect for the future.
Sander and Lucas reflect on their work:
Lucas: “We couldn't refuse NPA's call. The camp houses women who lived in the caliphate and became victims of IS and the war. As intense as it can be, we want to do everything we can to support the people who want to reach these women and children, giving them a better future perspective.”
For people living in difficult circumstances, words are often not enough to express their feelings
Sander: “It is important for these people to express themselves; to share their thoughts and feelings in a safe way. Music is a powerful vehicle for this. It connects people. It can relax your body and brain, making you more able to find your words and tell your story. The women and children learn to trust others again, creating space for other thoughts and ideas.”
The participants learned how to use musical exercises in their program. We taught them the basics of trauma so they can make their own programs more trauma-sensitive. We also trained them to be creative and flexible, helping them to adapt musical activities to the specific needs of the people they work with. Songwriting is an important tool in Sounds of Change's work. While writing a song, people share stories, listen to each other and create lyrics, rhythms and melodies together. With the group of trainees in Northeast Syria, the songwriting session culminated in a beautiful song about their country:
The sun begins to rise again, our souls begin to live inside.
Will the day ever come, when we go back to good old times,
when it's bright again.
If only days go back, and we feel te hope again.
The earth will bloom with your presence, Eve.
Have fun, cheer up and let go the suffering.
This war will end one day, and the sky will be clear again.
We're here, and one day with happiness we will meet.
Sing with us, children,
with voices that build generations.
This war caused us much pain,
and for Syria you are the hope.
We are very proud of the beautiful and important work our trainees do with women and children in the refugee camps in North East Syria and we will continue our coaching and training online from the Netherlands. We will return to Syria in August to continue this training program with Anne van den Ouwelant from Trauma International.
Thank you for reading until the end of our 'Stories of Change'.
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With love, health and musical wishes,
The Sounds of Change team
