‘Because You Too, You Wake Up Every Morning Hoping for a Better Future’ by Rahma Sghaier, Tunisia

Lately, I’ve been trying to bury my head in my pillow for as long as I can, desperately trying to escape the insane escalation of bloodshed surrounding us. I’m sitting now and thinking that even basic things can’t happen in many places in the Middle East…that on the other side of the world, many people no longer have the luxury to sit on a sofa, as I am doing, and think because they are too busy trying to survive. I always wonder: what can I do to help? All forms of solidarity that come to my mind sound pathetic. That’s why I feel so small in front of a big reality determined by what it seems like invincible factors. I am conscious that we are living in a situation that craves a sustainable solution but don’t know how to be a part of creating that. As a matter of fact, I’ve been trying to avoid every kind of mainstream news or social media, to disappear for a while because I’m sick of these protagonists and antagonist propagandas spreading everywhere and cultivating nothing but hate speech, laying the ground for future generations doomed to live in war. But I also see these angry people from the four corners of the world protesting, donating and praying. And I feel so overwhelmed with this parade of international compassion. I hear that third voice rising against all this hateful anarchy, all this moral insanity. This voice is challenging the ongoing project of ever-lasting war and working to replace it with a project of new generations that know the value of peace. It’s the voice of those who love children independent of their nationality. It’s the voice of life. Because hundreds of children are dying every day in Gaza, Syria, Iraq… Because you too, you wake up every morning hoping for a better future. Stand up and say: ENOUGH! Rahma, YaLa Young Leaders