Hanan Lakoud’s activism in human rights goes back to 1993 when she worked with a group of young activists in the town of Darayya on a number of campaigns addressing social change and civil society. Her participation soon made her a subject for prosecution and scrutiny by the Syrian security forces, particularly with her contributions to the Darayya youth movement for social change in 2003.
Lakoud saw the beginning of the Syrian revolution in 2011 as an opportunity to channel the energy of young people towards building a civil society that is immune to tyranny. She played an important role in the establishment of the Darayya Women Assembly and was a leading member of the women’s peace movement in the town.
Building on her academic background in education, Lakoud began shifting her efforts towards children in 2012 when she found that the children of Darayya were in desperate need of protection and psycho-social support. She organized a series of meetings with women in her area to collaborate with them on helping the children. She then supervised the launch of the first online training of its kind in Syria on child protection principles, thus providing one of the first building blocks for the establishment of Hurras Network.
Hanan played an important role in shaping the methodology of Hurras. She is well known for her managerial skills, leadership, and ability to inspire young people. Hanan received a degree in Civil Engineering from Damascus University in 1995 and continued her studies at the Damascus Faculty of Education, the Department of Modern Education in 2008.
Hanan Lakoud is the mother of five children.
