a collective of Syrian women activists initiated by sharq.org to help enhance the collaborative participation of Syrian women in peace building and politics.
the war in Syria, much like the Lebanese civil war that preceded it by some decades, left deep divisions between communities of different faiths, ethnicities, allegiances and geographies. sustainable peace demands (as affirmed in the WPS agenda) the active engagement of women, and inclusive collaboration across physical, ideological, religious and political divides.
Syria may be considered by some to be no longer at war but its millions of displaced and disconnected Syrians are certainly not living in peace. stability in the country, perhaps even in the region, demands that communities live together in peace. this is challenging when the rhetoric of division and destruction continues to be pushed by warmongers and those in power. the importance of pluralism in promoting peace and stability and the value of women in pursuing this agenda are well documented, and were the focus and intended outcome of Collectiva Souriyat.
sharq.org initiated and nurtured the network of Syrian women during the initiative’s inception phase in 2021. an open call resulted in the receipt and review of applications by 177 Syrian women, of whom 12 were invited to form the inaugural cohort of the Collectiva. a second call for members in 2022 resulted in the expansion of the network to 26 members, who were based within different cities in Syria and in the diaspora. Collectiva members collaborated in knowledge exchanges through capacity buildings workshops and on the development and implementation of peace building initiatives, including: the development of a constitution during a governance retreat within Syria; the production of an oral history collection about women and peace; the creation of a film hosted by a Hakawatiya; and the construction of a community garden in the suburbs of Damascus. The garden was nurtured by Sham, a character created by Collectiva members and illustrated by Dima Nashawi.
READ MORE >>> sharq.org principal Reem Maghribi outlines the broad ambitions of the organisation and the Collectiva in this 2021 blog post.
