Anas Alkharboutli, Syria
Syria: Sport and fun instead of war and fear
In the Syrian village of Aljiina near the city of Aleppo, Wasim Satot has opened a karate school for children. What makes it special is that girls and boys with and without disabilities are taught together. They are between six and 15 years old.
With his school, Satot wants to create a sense of community and overcome any war experiences - Aleppo was fiercely contested - in the minds of the children.
Syrian photographer Anas Alkharboutli has documented how successful the karate teacher’s plan has been to make children happy, strong and self-confident; to promote their resistance and enable them to lead a carefree life, if only for a few hours.
Photographer: Anas Alkharboutli, Syria (dpa)
Anas Alkharboutli, born in 1992, studied engineering at the University of Damascus and began his career as a photojournalist in 2015, mostly producing photo series from his embattled home country.
He works for dpa and was awarded the Young Reporter Trophy at the Prix Bayeux for the photo of an injured girl from his 13-part series ‘The War in Syria’, which focused on the suffering of the civilian population. He was also honored at the ‘Pictures of the Year International’ competition in the USA.