We step away from our focus on the military aspects of the Syrian conflict for a moment to take a look at what life is like for a group of children in Aleppo’s insurgent-controlled neighborhood of Al-Shaar this Eid al-Fitr.
These videos are taken in a local mosque, the Nour al-Shuhada, and show a party for young children run by a local youth group, Shabab Saeed. The group, according to reports on activist social media, has been around since at least 2009 — so it predates the conflict — and runs a variety of charitable activities including helping distribute food to the needy, donating and distributing school supplies to poor families, and providing food for Ramadan Iftar meals to those who could not otherwise afford it.
At the party, children dressed up in carnival costumes, played games and sang, and were entertained by local artists.
In this video, a young girl entertains the crowds with a song:
More music, this time from a professional, Ahmad Shukri. (Notice how some of the children are making their own videos with cellphones!):
Everybody sings together:
And now it’s time for the girls to sing together:
