Intisar Foundation And USEK Sign an MoU

Intisar Foundation And USEK Sign A Historic Agreement To Educate The Next Generation of Arab Female Drama Therapists in the Arab World

– The MoU with USEK further aligns with Intisar Foundation’s vision outlined by HH Sheikha Intisar AlSabah to bring Peace to the Arab world by psychologically healing Arab women from the trauma of war and violence.

– Intisar Foundation demonstrates its commitment to achieving its #1MillionArabWomen initiative, a pioneering plan to alleviate war trauma in one million Arab women through the use of drama therapy by 2040.

Kuwait, Kuwait – September 15, 2020: Intisar Foundation, the first and only charitable organisation to foster Peace in the Arab world by providing drama therapy programmes to Arab women affected by war and violence, and the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (USEK), a private university in Mount Lebanon, have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to collaborate on nurturing the talent of Arab female drama therapists.

The agreement was on September 15^th by HH Sheikha Intisar AlSabah, founder and Chairwoman of Intisar Foundation, and Father Talal Hashem, President of USEK.

The agreement was concluded during an online meeting witnessed also by Father Badih El Hage, Dean of the School of Music and Performing Arts, Dr. Rima Mattar, Deputy President for International Affairs and Global Initiatives, Dr. Celine Baaklini, Deputy President for Students and Ms. Karima Anbar, CEO of Intisar Foundation as well as Dr. Léna Saadé Gebran, Head of Performing Arts Program, from USEK.

As part of the partnership, Intisar Foundation will financially support the enrollment of 15 outstanding female Arab students into USEK’s master’s curriculum in Drama Therapy in the fall of 2020.

Intisar Foundation’s commitment to creating the drama therapy expertise in the Arab world is a part of its #1MillionArabWomen initiative – a pioneering initiative launched by HH Sheikha Intisar AlSabah to alleviate war trauma in one million Arab women through the use of Drama Therapy by 2040.

“This is a momentous partnership, because in educating a new generation of female Arab Drama Therapists, we will have more of them applying their knowledge of drama therapy on a larger number of Arab women affected by war and violence, and thus more of them helping us reach our goal of psychologically healing one million Arab women from the trauma of war and violence much faster,” said HH Sheikha Intisar AlSabah. “Empowering women through the use of drama therapy contributes to bringing Peace to the Arab world, and that is the reason why we want to expand the pool of Arab Drama Therapists in the years to come.”

USEK is the only university in the Arab world that provides a master’s curriculum in Drama Therapy. Father Talal Hashem, President of USEK, commended the partnership with Intisar Foundation, saying that the university’s newly concluded agreement sets a path forward for young Arab minds interested in Drama Therapy. “Intisar Foundation’s support to the Drama Therapy field, firstly, will pave the way for many students to embark on careers in this very specific field simply by facilitating their access to it through lightening one of their main burdens throughout their studies,” Father Talal Hashed said. “Secondly, they will get an opportunity to serve their internship with the Intisar Foundation team, allowing them to practice what they have learned on the ground through the internships they will be undertaking with Intisar Foundation. Thirdly, and most importantly, given the current context of crisis worldwide, our Drama Therapists will have a great impact on shaping minds, encouraging positive mindsets, and consequently, helping the society to build for a better future for us all.”

Karima Anbar, CEO of Intisar Foundation, said that Intisar Foundation will ensure the continuous and appropriate supervision to the chosen 15 female Drama Therapy students in the prolonged years of their studies. Anbar highlighted that the foundation’s effort is aimed not only at helping students achieve their career ambitions, but also at supporting the expansion of the pool of Drama Therapists in the Arab world.

“This a historic collaboration because we can achieve a lot by educating a new generation of Drama Therapist in the Arab world,” Anbar said. “Intisar foundation already has a demonstrable history of supporting Arab women in need and providing them with quality psychological programmes that are aligned with the culture, language, and specific needs of Arab populations, but this strategic partnership is proof of our strong determination to reach our goal of psychologically healing one million Arab women from the trauma of war and violence in the following 20 years.”

In line with that, the 15 Arab Drama Therapists will be dispersed across the Arab world to reach Arab women suffering from the trauma of war and violence in as many Arab regions and countries as possible.

Dr. Léna Saadé Gebran, Head of Performing Arts Program, USEK, added, “Despite the difficult times which we in Lebanon and throughout the Arab world are experiencing at the moment, and that is on physical, mental, economical, national and many other levels, this master’s programme will be opening new doors and opportunities to our students, giving them a breath of hope, and through it, the multifold missions of USEK, namely, education, culture and cooperation, will be not only preserved but developed further.”

Intisar Foundation intends to offset the significant dearth of research in the field of Drama Therapy in the Arab world. It will be making a great effort to connect, exchange ideas and partner with international organisations, philanthropists, government and NGO sectors, academia, and its partners and donors in order to enable and support the growth of mental health field in the Arab world.

ABOUT INTISAR FOUNDATION

Officially registered as a humanitarian organisation with the Charity Commission for England and Wales in 2019, Intisar Foundation is the first and only charitable organisation to provide Drama Therapy sessions to women affected by the trauma of war and violence in the Arab world. Aiming to contribute to fostering peace in the MENA region by empowering women, the foundation launched a pioneering initiative to alleviate war trauma in one million Arab women through the use of Drama Therapy (#1MillionArabWomen initiative) by 2040.

Intisar Foundation amplifies its work by framing it around three strategic initiatives:
– Executing online and offline Drama Therapy programmes for Arab women traumatised by war and violence.
– Cooperating with universities to establish master’s curriculums in Drama Therapy and to provide scholarships for the next generation of Arab Drama Therapists.
– Encouraging and publishing research in the field of Drama Therapy in the Arab world and beyond.

Each of these strategic goals is directed towards achieving the foundation’s One Million Arab Women initiative (#1MillionArabWomen initiative), a 20-year plan to alleviate psychological trauma in one million Arab women affected by war and violence through the use of Drama Therapy. It is HH Sheikha Intisar AlSabah’s hope that we all will witness the inner Peace ignited in these women filter through the rest of the Arab world.