Qamishlo in Rojava Gets its First Co-operative Park

This is a translation of an Arabic article that first appeared on Hawar News on 12 June 2017

The Environmental Office in the Municipality of East Qamishlo [Qamişlo / Qamishli / Al-Qamishli] is working to renovate Shehid Warshin Park, and invest in it as a co-operative society for the people in the commune of Shehid Farhan, in the Ashuriyah district.

Shehid Warshin is lacking services and people have to go very far if they want to go to a park. With the renovation of this park, children will be able to play in their own neighbourhood.

The Environmental Office has been co-ordinating with the Union of Co-operatives in Rojava to make the park a co-operative society for the people of the neighbourhood. The Environmental Office is working now to renovate the park by planting flowers and grass, fixing the damage, opening a cafe and putting some toys there for the children to play.

According to the office, when the park is ready there will be a meeting for the people of the commune to vote for a committee that will manage the park, and also to form a co-operative society that will have shares that are only available for the people of the neighbourhood.

Khansa Ahmed, an administrator in the Environmental Office, said that this park will strengthen family ties and community life, benefit society, and will also provide a place for the children of the neighbourhood to play somewhere close to their houses. Khansa said that they have been working for twenty days in the park, and the people started signing up very quickly to become members of the co-operative, which is very unique for the region. She also hoped that this co-operative will become the first in a series of co-operatives of same kind.