HESNA MEHEMED

Hasekê – Stress, anxiety, worry, and fears make our lives unbearable and we face various physical and mental problems in the future. Sport is very important to deal with all of these problems. The sport offers us a balance between spirit and body. It has a great role in having a healthy life and an open mind. The El Cizîre Sports Center opened in Hasekê city of NE Syria is a great place for women’s healthy life. Every day, 100 women aged between 15 and 50 come to the sports center to have a healthy life.

“Women needed a sports center”

 Merîvan Îsa is the owner of the sports center. After graduating from the department of physical education and sports at university, Merîvan Îsa says, “I developed this project when I saw how women needed a sports center in my city. My husband supported me to develop this project. I wanted to serve people and women after receiving my diploma. First, I formed a part only for men in the sports center, and then I formed a special part for women. In the beginning, not many women came to the sports center due to ongoing war in this region but since 2018, our sports center has become a sports center for women”

“We have a new project”

Talking about the effects of sports and exercise on healthy life, Merîvan Îsa says, “Many women come to our sports center due to their physical problems. We pay special attention to them for having a healthier life. We work hard and we feel happy when we see them feel better. We are three persons and we help each other. Sport is very good for overweight people. We had to close our sports center due to the pandemic but then we reopened it by increasing the measures against the coronavirus. Now, we are working on a new project, we will expand the sports center.”

“Despite social pressures, I love my job”

Leyla Eshed has worked as a fitness instructor at the sports center for five years. She told us she began to work at the sports center after graduating from the university. Leyla told us she faced many social pressures. “We prepare a different program for everyone according to their needs. We specially take care of them. We also prepare a diet list for them. I am in contact with all of them after they leave the sports center, I try to help them. When I see how they are healthy, I feel happy.”