Rusted and broken-down Russian machine guns were stacked in the corner of a rebel training camp in Libyan opposition bastion Benghazi. Most of them were twice or even triple as old as the young men who are repairing them.

Children play war games near a street in the rebel stronghold of Benghazi, Libya, on May 30, 2011.(Xinhua/Cai Yang)

As his friends are heading to the battlefields against Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's troops, Mohammad decided a shift from a major of chemical science to learning the art of arms. Fixing damaged weapons is a skill that is as vital as that of using them as the supply from the rebel's few makeshift arsenals falls short of the demands in the front line.

"I get all the knowledge about each part of these weapons from the Internet. No one can teach me and I have to learn by myself," said Mohammad.

"This is my favorite," he pointed at a repaired Russian 23-mm anti-aircraft twin-barreled gun in the workshop, "It can hit targets more than two kilometers away exactly."

"The weapons are old, but we cannot throw them away. We are badly in need of arms. Each repaired piece may lead us to victory, " he said.

Although the on-going war in the North African country has left thousands of deaths and more to come, the hope for victory is inspiring more young men to sign up for military training provided by veteran soldiers. In one of the several training camps in Benghazi, officer Mufta al-Bargaty told Xinhua that about 1,500 trainees have taken courses in the camp since Feb. 27 when the rebels took up arms against the Gaddafi forces.

Now it usually takes six weeks to go through physical training, using light weapons as well as learning special skills such anti- tank, anti-aircraft and explosion, he said.

"Now we can kill Gaddafi," 21-year-old Akram Adam smiled, wearing a hat with the rebel colors of green, black and red, "the first time I went to the frontline, I had no military experience. But now I have been trained for three weeks and after another three weeks, I will be ready to fight again."

There is no good answer to when the chronic war would end, as the opposition finds it still hard to break the deadlock while Gaddafi has shown great staying power despite the growing pressure from the West.

The youths, who say their country could not build future for them, are determined to build the next generation for the country' s future. Therefore, some university students volunteer to work in children care centers since schools have been shut down and officials say there is no plan to reopen them until Gaddafi leaves.

Others are volunteering to help the refugees. University graduate Farah said he is tired but happy to cook at a refugee camp for nearly 400 Libyans from the western cities such as besieged Misurata and battle-hit Brega.

During the interview with Farah on Monday, a baby was born at the camp, and the family members began distributing sugars among the young volunteers, including Farah, to share the rejoicing.

"I know the refugees are worried about the future since they could not go back until their hometowns are freed. But we have to stand firm during the difficult period to hope for the best in the new era," Farah said.

Even some children are reluctant to stay idle at home. Every evening at a major junction, a team of kids in white traffic police uniforms blow whistles to direct the traffic in a way they learned during a two-week training. The youngest one is 10 years old.

Ahmed, 15, said he was on shift every day from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. "For three months, we work happily and we succeed."

When asked about whether he wanted to go back to school, eighth- grade Ahmed said "of course. I want to read."

A security officer standing beside him said the army of kids is liked by drivers and every resident. "They are our pride and they deserve a much better future."

VietNamNet/Xinhuanet