It’s been eight years since the start of the war in Syria, and to mark this, UNICEF launched its first ever children’s songs album to revive old children’s songs originally produced in 1976.
The album features children from Syria and neighboring countries belting out tunes from songs written by the world-famous composer Elias Rahbani who recorded the songs during the war in Lebanon and has to date composed 6,500 musical pieces.
Deeply touched by the effects of the war in Syria, Elias Rahbani and his son, Jad Rahbani, put together a workshop bringing together 300 children from Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey to record the album. With support from the European Union Trust Fund in Response to the Syrian Crisis, the EU ‘Madad’ fund and UNICEF, they held 11 workshops in hope to use music to help children cope with the psychological effects of the war.
The album, titled ‘11’, was launched in Beirut and was part of UNICEF’s core commitments for children affected by the crisis. UNICEF provides psychological support as part of its package of assistance in response to conflicts.
UNICEF hopes to roll out 1 million copies of the album by the end of 2020, giving it out free of charge to schools, clubs, music academies and recreation centers across the region.
