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PART OF MY job in Syria is to document the horrific experiences of ordinary people caught in the middle of the ongoing bloody conflict. However, it often strikes me that I could largely fulfil my mission without ever leaving GOAL’s office in northern Syria. For nowhere are there sadder tales of loss and suffering than amongst my close friends and colleagues on the GOAL staff, who spend every working hour helping alleviate the pain of others.
Ali was one of the first people GOAL recruited in Syria. A former student of architecture, he now holds quite a senior position in our 55-strong team.
The only time I have ever heard Ali swear was when he was telling me of the time an aerial bomb hit a small mosque in his town during Friday prayers, and killed more than 70 people: “My grandfather told me that at least the French respected a mosque. France is not even a Muslim country, but when we were fighting them for independence, if someone took refuge in a mosque, the French would not enter it. But these f…..s attack our mosques. They have no right to call themselves Muslim.”
The attack took place only a matter of weeks before GOAL arrived to set up base in Ali’s hometown. A larger mosque is still standing, but it too has been badly damaged by bombs, rockets and gunfire.
Ali’s grandfather was probably speaking shortly after his own family had been touched by the violence. His son (Ali’s father) had been walking in the street with a nephew when he was shot by a sniper. The bullet passed through him and struck the younger man (Ali’s cousin), killing them both. “My mother and aunt will never recover,” Ali says, matter-of-factly.
Image: GOAL
Jasmine is a member of one of GOAL’s aid distribution teams. I had known her a few months before she happened to mention that she holds a degree in law. Intrigued, I asked her about her studies, and during our chat the story of her best friend Anna emerged: “Like me, Anna was a law student at Aleppo University. She was a brilliant student, the best in our year. One day in 2011 Anna was taking part in a protest march, when someone bumped up against her and she felt a sharp pain in her side. She had been stabbed by an undercover agent. It was such a small wound, with hardly any blood, that Anna thought she would be alright. But later she collapsed, and some friends brought her back to the university. Anna died that night. She was only 20. We wrapped her body in a piece of carpet so the police wouldn’t find her, and smuggled her out of the university, and brought her home to her parents. Anna was very quiet and never talked about politics, so we were surprised that she went to the demonstration. But her parents told us that her brother had been shot and killed by the army, and Anna was very angry about it. She had never told anyone because the family was afraid of reprisals. They didn’t want Anna’s death made public either.”
Jasmine is weeping at this point, and I apologise for raising such painful memories. “No, no! Don’t be sorry, David. I wanted to tell you about Anna.”
Image: GOAL
Amira, one of GOAL’s team leaders, is originally from Damascus. Her father was an airline pilot. He was arrested at Damascus airport nearly two years ago and held on unspecified charges. He has not been heard of since. The family fled north to escape the harassment – and probably worse – that would inevitably follow his arrest. “Our father will come back to us, Insha’Allah. And someday we will return to Damascus. I am a daughter of Damascus, and I want to go home,” she says simply.
And so the stories go on. Ahmed’s wife was shot by a sniper as she walked in the street with their three children. She is now paralysed from the neck down. Mohammed lost two brothers in the mosque attack mentioned above.
Over the past 10 months or so, many of my colleagues have recounted something of their lives to me, and I never fail to be shocked and saddened by what they have been through.
And new hurts are being created all the time.
On Friday past, during a team training session, Mustapha had suddenly to leave us, having just received word that his older brother had been shot and killed.
The latest UN estimate is that during the past two-and-a-half years more than 100,000 people have been killed in Syria (the true figure is probably closer to twice that number). Virtually every one of these people lost his or her life to so-called conventional weapons, yet the world chooses to ignore this, and instead obsesses about chemical weapons.
Is it any wonder that every Syrian I speak to, including my GOAL colleagues, has become convinced that they and their loved ones are considered expendable. Wouldn’t you, in similar circumstances?
The names and positions of the GOAL staff in this article have been changed to protect them and their families from possible reprisals. David Adams is a Media & PR Officer at GOAL.
GOAL is one of only a few aid agencies that is working inside Syria. The organisation has been delivering aid since last October, and is now supplying a monthly food ration to 120,000 people every month. GOAL is also distributing vouchers to 133,000 people per month. These vouchers can be redeemed at certain local stores for goods of the recipients’ choice. Please visit www.goal.ie to donate, or find out more about GOAL’s programmes.
Syria UN figures:
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There’s a lesson that people seem to learn only after they have done their Leaving Cert, which for some reason the students themselves are not informed of. They should be informed as maybe it would save on a lot of the stress, mental health issues and indirect physical health issues.
It’s quite simple. For virtually every course out there in Ireland, that you could possibly desire to do, there is an alternative route into it. Whether it is being a doctor, teacher, lawyer, electrician or personal trainer, you will get there if you want to get there. Getting the points in the Leaving Cert Rat Race is just one method of getting into the course of your choice. It may take longer by another route. But if you want it, it will be way more than worth it.
Problem is it generally takes longer and that avenue isn’t there for all courses. Most students are vaguely aware the alternative route but it isn’t much comfort. the thought of spending a year or more extra getting where you want to go is not much consolation to the majority of 18 year olds.
I totally agree with your comment the points system is a ridiculous method for determining a students academic capabilities. All it is a glorified memory test with a few trick questions. If we relied on a points system 100 years ago to gain entry to colleges. There’d probably be no theory of relativity!! The education system sucks in Ireland it’s designed to demean the lower classes and reward privileged classes. This Richard Murphy is a typical scare mongering idiot most of the comments he’s made are well known facts about how fu€ked the system is. Tell us something new. His suggestions, I’ll take one example, law you’d be better off doing it in the UK anyway much better demand for barristers in London. Also I’d take the Bar in New York or Boston If I was really ambitious as the opportunity in the US is greater in many different legal specialities and you don’t have to wait for someone to die as you do here. Go and have a chat with someone who knows what the fu€k his talking about like down in the law library ie. John Glesson ? or any non disgraced solicitor.
Take a look at this site link below. And pass it on. Did see no mention of it in the article b
http://www.eunicas.ie/index.php/studying-abroad/studying-abroad.html
The CAO is a type of cull system which one would have to admit is like a lottery system gaining a place in college. Students who fail to gain access to a course of there choice possibly end up repeating the leaving cert which is a total waste of time, only possibly becoming more dissolution’d and never going to college at all which is a huge loss to both the people of Ireland and society. What might they have archived. I know too many people where this is the case.
Students need to wake up and relies they are being conned. There first choice should be to go to college abroad in Europe as the access to medicine engineering etc in places like Holland / Germany and other countries where it is taught in English and the entry requirements is more realistic and costs a lot less. Also the qualification often has more value especially engineering degree from a German university.
With the CAO as a second choice maybe colleges here will begin to relies they have a problem which they already have. Check the statistics on attendances in engineering in colleges in Ireland and in other areas. There is a growing shortage of capable skilled people in many areas. We turn out loads of qualified university graduates alright but most are laking something; natural ability! Maybe. There qualified but a lot of them as dumb as fu€k and usually takes four years further training before you could release them on a customer and that’s if they stay with you that long.
Take a look at this site link below. And pass it on. Did see no mention of it in the article by Richard Murphy
Bit late to be worrying now.
Whats do is done.
What’s for you won’t pass you.
Your health is your wealth.
Best of luck to everyone getting their results….
Good luck to the teachers in a sweat this week too ; )
Good luck to my daughter & all of the students getting their results. There is no point in worrying now, what is done is done. It will all come good in the end.
If the press didn’t hype it up as they do the kids would be fine. Leave them alone with your opinions.
Exactly. The writer gives the advice “avoid hype” but the entire article is itself hyping up the LC results, as well as raising the profile of Griffith College at what is a crucial time of the year for its business. Is it my imagination or is coverage of the LC results starting earlier and earlier? I’ve nothing against covering the event once it has occurred but this build-up tells us nothing that we didn’t know.
Good luck to me lol
Look, I did my Leaving Cert year and years ago.I remember being as nervous as hell. Bad stomach etc. Its as big a deal as you want to make it. Now I cant even remember what I passed in, my marks, virtually nothing about it. It didnt help me one bit getting a job as I moved to the UK where I was judged on what I could actually do and not on a piece of paper. In 20 years time you will look back and realise it was not as big a deal as you thought, relax, chill and do your best!
I wouldn’t rely on the courses that CAO dont fill that have places in August and September because they’re usually the same type of course in the back arse of nowhere
Keep out of the black and into the red.
Nothing in this game for two in a bed!
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