The City of Peace: Kurds in Kobani open indoor play place for children

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdish community in the Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava) town of Kobani have created a space where children can play and enjoy their childhood in peace and safety with the opening of an indoor play area called “The City of Peace.”

The organizers who launched the project said they wanted to provide the children in Kobani with a place where they can have fun peacefully and safely.

Bozan Ali, the project’s founder, told Kurdistan 24 the idea began when he saw his own children were becoming restless at home. Ali said he was determined to find a place for his children and other kids in his community to play somewhere safe instead of in the streets.

“I got this idea from my own children. I saw that they were bored at home,” he said. “Indeed, our entire community had observed the same thing with their children.”

“I decided to ask around and get the opinion of my neighbors who all agreed it was a good idea.”

There are two separate rooms inside the play area, one for toddlers and another for older children. Kids have an abundance of options where they can play with toys, balls, climb gymnastic nets and walls, and use slides and swings.

The slides and playground toys, as well as the walls of the play area, are covered in sponges to protect the kids from getting injured.

“We don’t use steel or metal toys. All the slides and walls are covered in sponge and plastic to protect the kids from harm while they play,” Ali told Kurdistan 24.

The project provides the children in Kobani a chance to enjoy their childhood and forget about the memories of war.

At the height of its emergence in 2014, the Islamic State advanced on the Kurdish town of Kobani, but joint efforts from the Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) and Peshmerga forces from the Kurdistan Region ensured the extremist group had a short-lived reign in the city.

Moreover, during the years-long Syrian crisis, children have borne the brunt of the conflict. However, as conditions in the northern parts of the country improve, many activists continue to explore ways to rekindle a childhood for the youth who have been deprived of it due to war.

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Ziwa Hussein, one of the supervisors at The City of Peace play area, said the organizers hope they can improve the psychological well-being of the children by keeping them away from the streets which may serve as a reminder of the war.

“We want the children to have a place to play and enjoy their youth,” she told Kurdistan 24. “Children of all ages can come here, enjoy their time, and have fun.”

(Additional reporting by Redwan Bezar)