Despite siege of Eastern Ghouta, children find interval for fun

Reporting by Faris Al Rifai; Translation by Yusra Ahmed

(Zaman Al Wasl)- 80 children in Eastern Ghouta near Syria's capital were lucky to have fun with Bambino band's show last week.

The show, which was sponsored by Zaman al-Wasl, included puppet show, a magician, Di Ji, competitions and prizes.

The band used to do these kinds of activities to children of the embattled Ghouta to help them to forget the atmosphere of war, violence, killing.

Almost 80 children attended the party from 3 kindergartens, alone without their parents, to let them feel more comfortable.

Dia’a al-Assod, the band’s manager, told Zaman al-Wasl that the show was performed in a well protected underground basement, but did not identify the address for children’s safety fearing of bombing it.

The Band’s manager mentioned that another show is going to take place next week in which children would participate in drawing, coloring, choreography and a play talks about regime’s massacres.

Al-Assod detailed that the next week’s show would invite parents, who would watch children’s activities and drawing they made, the 5 different choreographies and the play named “the Massacre”

“It took us 2 weeks to prepare for the show, as we had to train children on the dances and their roles in the play, beside their work in the drawing and painting for the exhibition" the manager explained.

Dia’a al-Assod expressed his gratitude to Zaman al-Wasl for supporting the show, and all other voluntary bodies which tried to help children inside Syrian under difficult circumstances.

Bambino band, a youth’s voluntary band tries to help children in Western Gouta in Damascus and support them psychologically and emotionally to get over hard conditions they went through.

The band performed about 40 shows in refugees’ gathering places like schools in Zakia, Morana and Moqailebiyeh, besides kindergartens in Khan al-sheikh.

The band was formed before the Syrian revolution when it included 20 members, but now only 6 left , but that did not prevent the band from carrying on working even within the hard conditions, like lack of electricity and designated place for training and performing.

Zaman al-Wasl would support more activities which target children inside Syria as part of its working plan for 2015.