Olive Branch


22 December 2013

“Female and male youth for humanism... a young civil assembly concerned with the issues of children and women,” is how the assembly of Olive Branch presents itself. 

The assembly was established in October 2012, in the city of Daraa, the cradle of the Syrian uprising, out of the necessity for “an entity that concerns itself with the rights and needs of human beings in Syria,” according to one of its founders. The group began its work with a series of events and activities that address children in particular, such as “My classroom is my home”, “We were born to live”, “I feel like playing”, “Draw”, “Don't forget about us” and “Winter is here”. The group has also led initiatives to deliver toys and winter clothes to Syrian children, as well as schedule school program, and organize parties for the children of Daraa, Zabadani and al-Tall. The assembly's main concern since its founding is to provde the necessary support for Syria's battered communities in their resistance to tyranny. 

Despite some difficulties in early 2013, when a group member, "Omar al-Natur", was murdered, the group relaunched itself in August and has continued to be active within its target communities. According to activists from the group, all the campaings ae privately financed by the members, "except for the school and children club openning soon, which were funded by the SY13 association." Olive Branch also cooperates in many of their campaigns with other local civil society groups like "Wheat Grain" in the town of al-Tall.

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Illustation by Dima Nechawi Graphic Design by Hesham Asaad