"Despite the difficulties I faced, nothing stopped me from moving forward in my life” 26-year-old Sura from Al-Diwaniyah Governorate began telling her story of overcoming obstacles to bring about positive change in her life.

In 2019, when Sura was in the third stage of her Engineering Studies, her father passed away. That is when sorrow took over her life, “I felt like life was meaningless at that moment," she said. As such, her mother is the only family member she has left.

Her mother was her biggest supporter and encouraged her to focus on her studies. Sura’s dream came true, and she graduated from college. But, only after two months of cherishing this achievement, she experienced another breakdown when her mother was infected with the Coronavirus and passed away. Sura got COVID-19 as well, and although she recovered physically after a while, the psychological effects were noticeable. Sura suffered from memory loss and stopped talking and mixing with her peers.

She was unable to accept the trauma, and she further felt neglected and discriminated against by society. She became lonely and introverted, estranged from her friends, and avoided members of her community. She lost her passion for life and thought that she couldn’t live her everyday life again.

Fortunately, Sura found a new path to a better life when her sister spotted a post on social media about a life-skills education course at a youth centre in her town. Sura's sister was able to convince her to join. This was a fresh start for positive changes in her life. Sura participated in a training of trainers on Adolescent Health. During this training, she met new people and was able to reintegrate into society again.

This was a new beginning for her. The people who she met encouraged and supported her, which helped her learn new skills such as communication and building confidence. Today Sura is stronger, more confident, and communicates well with people. She also started volunteering in community activities as part of a team as she acquired new skills. Sura is now actively looking for a job to utilise her skills and benefit from the experiences she gained through her training and voluntary work.

Youth programs offered by UNFPA in four youth centres in Diwaniyah have positively changed the lives of Sura and more than 3,000 adolescents and young people. In collaboration with the Ministry of Youth and Sports and Diwaniyah Governorate and generous donations from the People of Japan, UNFPA provides life-skills education and reproductive health and rights information in those centers.

Notably, in 2022, the four youth centres in Diwaniyah reached 17,000 young people with a wide range of skills and knowledge through awareness sessions, life skills training, psychosocial support and counseling services, and numerous training.

"Will makes the impossible possible", Sura said at the end. What Sura thought was unattainable has become her reality now. Her tenacity and investment in opportunity and integration with her peers within the youth centre, only strengthened her belief that she can achieve all goals that she is aspiring for.