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The Power Of Womanhood
Malala Yousafzai said, "We realise the importance of our voices voices only when we are silenced." We have been silenced for centuries and during these years of silence, we eventually realised the importance of our voices. Speak up. Make sure your voice is heard even when certain evil forces are attempting to silence you with all their power because believe me, words cut deeper than swords. Let's collectively fight for the rights that we have been denied for years. Here is how you can make a difference: when your friend tells that her significant other abuses her, speak up for her. When a...
Why Pride is ALWAYS Necessary
The LGBTQ+ community has always had to fight through hardships to gain acceptance from the rest of the world. From discrimination to the illegalization of same-sex marriage, they’ve gone through many difficulties. I’ve heard some say that Pride month is too much, that the LGBTQ+ community doesn’t need it and that it shouldn’t matter. This kind of thinking is actually pretty insensitive and ignorant. In reality, the LGBTQ+ community’s battles are still not over. Even though it may seem to be more accepted in the United States, there still are acts of discrimination going on in other countries...
How to succeed in failure without really trying
Some paths you must walk alone. We all know that. We come to this world alone and alone we must go, or something like that. And the love you give, sometimes you might never get it back. And let’s not forget the world is full of injustice and anger and plastic that just won´t go away. I could write for days about the darkness there is out there or the hopeless void I sometimes feel I’m a part of. But in all honesty, who needs that? Did you notice how easy it is to just sink in it? Do you get what a dark place your life would be if you decide it to be? When something bad happens in your life, it...
Coping with Adolescence
I would always remember years back in college how my heart feels so good when my feet are inside my General Psychology classroom, and how it pounded more with excitement when we start tackling and battling with words under a topic – Stages of Human Development. Until I turned to teaching, I still aim for Personal Development so I could always have a good talk and response to this particular topic. For I have fell in a trap that knowing something about these stages will give me a better understanding of one’s personal growth, behavior, and attitude towards something. Well actually, it is really...
Resume Game?
Now as the world has come to a halt, many people think about what could keep them occupied. Some are lucky as they can work from home, in an outdoor space, or even at 6 feet apart. It has transpired that productivity in learning new things has dropped to an all-time low. It is almost as if we're playing a video game, stuck on a level. We choose to take a break from it and hit pause. A menu pops up and asks you to; 'Resume Game'. Now this is the tricky part, is it best to keep going to a level that seems complicated and tedious? There might be a small chance that if you pass this level...
A little discovery
You ought to be careful with the people you surround yourself with. I only recently discovered that certain mentalities are contagious. If you surround yourself with people that are constantly doubting themselves, speaking low about themselves, it's only a matter of time till you find yourself going through or experiencing such thoughts. This is how some insecurities are formed. Some people project and reflect their own doubts and fears onto you. Therefore, you have the duty to protect your space, know what and who you allow in your space. Like the Bible says, two cannot walk together unless...
We met again!
Five months have passed since the Syrian war memory, the war that forced us to do things we don't want to do. This year, I wrote a blog five months ago about the story of my life and how my childhood was living since the beginning of the war and until now under name: "How war changed me." I also mentioned - in this blog - my story with my first friend in my life, we were five years old when we first met and we stayed together until the war started and forced us to leave each other. Since 2011 I have not received any news about her, I only hear from time to time that she is alive. Recently, I...
A light of hope
Priya clutched her doll, as she went over to the balcony. She looked over the grill that was surrounding her balcony. Priya was a girl who lived in a flat system. As she looked out, she gave a little sigh. The roads that were so full of bustling crowds, were now completely deserted. The air that used to ring with the vehicle horns was now still and silent. Ever since India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modiji had announced the lockdown of the whole country, to battle the deadly coronavirus, there was hardly a soul roaming around. Priya was lost in thought of the epidemic when suddenly, she saw...
What about children’s rights in this COVID-19 crisis?
We recently celebrated the Day of the African Child on June 16 and being a child parliamentarian, I see this as a big day for all of Africa’s children and more so for the children of Djibouti. Since I am their voice in Parliament I can say we are dismayed by the situation we are going through because of COVID-19, which is worse still for most children who do not have birth certificates We welcome the salutary measures decreed by the political and health authorities to protect us from this misfortune of COVID-19. Nevertheless, the African child in general, and the Djiboutian in particular, find...
How war changed me
2011. I was 11-years-old when the war started in my country Syria. I was too young to understand what was actually happening. Before the war started I had many dreams. I wanted to be a doctor, be with my friends forever, or grow older at the same place where I lived. But suddenly, I found myself without dreams, friends and dolls. I woke up one morning and everywhere was full of hatred, I have seen many horrific scenes that are still stuck in my brain. 2012. I had to change the place where I live to start a new life again, but I became despaired, secluded, more shy and more nervous. 2013. I was...
Why child protection cannot be forgotten during COVID-19
In just a matter of weeks, the COVID-19 outbreak has already had drastic consequences for children across Djibouti. Their access to education, food, and health services has been dramatically affected all over the country. The impact has been so marked, that the UN Secretary General has urged governments and donors to offset the immediate effects of the COVID-19 crisis on children. In discussions of the pandemic to date, child labour (i.e. forms of work that are harmful to children) has played only a marginal role. Yet, as I describe in this blog, child labour will be an important coping...
Living my teenage years through historical and political events
Your teenage years are supposed to be a time for you to figure out who you really are. It’s also a time where you often feel lost and confused. However, with everything that’s been going on (Covid-19, protests for the death of George Floyd, etc..), these influential teenage years have become extremely dense. Many students haven’t been able to get their prom or graduation. Others are struggling to attend online classes in a home that doesn't have the necessary technological facilities. This is what makes this time so unique; it affects all of us, crossing societal and economic borders. Though...
The Gen Z uneasiness
So there I was, at my graduation ceremony. It was just coming down on me that I had actually finished college. No more classes to take and no more requirements to be done. We were officially declared as graduates, but no one had prepared us for what was next. There was that dreaded question floating in the air – what now? Yes, we are now degree-holders and we were given enough background to pursue a future of our own interest, but what now? At age 20, I feel like I have done nothing! This overbearing anxiety and need to accomplish something is not uncommon among Gen Zeds. What most people...
Infinite
In fire you’ll find her, cackling defiantly in the silent night when all succumbs to stillness, radiating the warmth that you are ever so oblivious to. And even after the fire dies out, her silent cackling continues, for as she is infinite. In the oceans you’ll find her, the cascading falls, the streams, the pattering rain, watering the wizened land, sometimes choosing to swallow cities together. And even when everything else is evanescent, she remains, for as she is infinite. In zephyr you’ll find her, her soft caressing and the wild gushing gale, she can break glass if she desires, and...
Letter to the Refugees
Dear refugees, I will always flounder to put out your stories of resilience in the finest of the words. Many a times I tried but failed. So today, this is another try to see whether I am able to touch an element of your stories or not. Let me tell you that you are just more than your stories and agony. You all are incarnation of robustness, endurance and a definition of hope. Every physical and mental torture, forced displacement, remoteness etc., you have had been through weren't worth at any point of time, but you emerged braver and stronger than before. It feels like hope emanates from the...
One afternoon in July
Sitting beside the tea stall, Sipping my tiredness away, I see the children in the hall, Carrying the stones in a difficult sway. The scorching July sun shows no mercy, As if these little souls deserve no pity, The sweat and dirt has soiled their torn jersey, Their filthy palms marked with lines of iniquity. Returning the empty glass, I walk up to the hall after paying a note, "Why don't you send these children to class? Someday, they might also wear a coat." "It is easy for you to say so sire, The windows of rich offices are opaque to reality, Poverty is what these children have got in hire...
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International Youth Day 2020: A letter to youth
It was National Women’s day on the 9th of August in South Africa. It really gave me time to reflect on what being a woman meant to me. In the process, I reflected on the actions of the resilient and brave South African women whose fire burned too bright to be dimmed. The women who fought to give me the rights I have today. Today, as I write this in celebration of International Youth Day, I reflect on the youth that have done the same thing. Today as I write this, I am proud to say that I am among a group of young people whose desire and passion for change is undying. Young people who saw a...
Being an autistic teen in quarantine and staying occupied.
My name is Alex. I am autistic on the autism spectrum disorder. This is what it's like for me in quarantine using my own words. Quarantine has been tough a little bit. I miss talking to people face to face outside of my parents at home. At first I hated the thought of having to stay home more than usual. It was interesting at the end of last school year with "crisis school" as they called it. It's been a little hard for my mental health too, as I have other mental health issues. There was no fancy celebration for my eighth grade promotion due to the pandemic, so my mom had a lot of family and...