Salma, 38 years old, Syrian Married, no children Homemaker “The group of women with me and I felt at ease, welcomed, and embraced from the first sessions. The sessions happened every Tuesday, and I would look forward to them to have a space for myself, to vent and escape the banality of life. Once, […]
Nagham, 20 years old, Syrian Single, no children Sales assistant in a clothing store “Exercises, like “expert lecture” where we stand in front of a group and pretend to be experts, helped me realise that it is me who is an expert on my own life, on myself, and not anyone else. My opinions […]
Suad, 46 years old, Syrian Widowed, Mother of four Seamstress “My mental health deteriorated, I would get angry and black out, hurt myself. I tried to throw myself out of the window a few times. I started to get worried that I would hurt others in my family, not just myself. I tried to […]
Inaya, 34 years old, Syrian Married, Mother of eight Homemaker “Everything in the world can be overcome, war, poverty, displacement, we are strong enough to face many difficulties. But when your own body is not well, it causes many doubts and fears.” “The only thing I can really say to myself and other […]
Hiba, 32 years old, Syrian Married, Mother of three Housewife “I can be my own therapist now, I can calm myself down and control my emotions to not harm myself or others. I am happy to have had this chance and hope to do the Intisar Foundation’s drama therapy programme again.” My name […]
Najwa, 35 years old, Syrian Widowed, Mother of eight Housewife “The only place in the world where I could speak about my issues without fear or shame were the Intisar Foundation drama therapy sessions. Even if only once a week, I would leave the house as one person and come back as another. I […]
El Shamiyah, 55 years old, Syrian Widowed, Mother of eleven Homemaker “Everything about the Intisar Foundation programme was unique – the music, the dance, the talking, the ability to explore our social circle safely. I felt I was able to release the anger inside me as the sessions went on. The programme gave me […]
Warde, 47 years old, Syrian Married, Mother of five Homemaker and small business owner “ I decided to join the Intisar Foundation drama therapy programme in order to make some changes in my routine. At first, the programme felt like a fun, entertaining activity to do with a group of nice women, but as […]
Jana, 35, Syrian Widow, Mother of five Homemaker “ The Intisar Foundation drama therapy programme made me stronger. The facilitator would lead us through the sessions, telling us that we are, indeed, strong people. I found my strength through their words and our shared experiences.” My name is Jana. I am a 35-year-old […]
Malake, 56, Palestinian – Lebanese Widowed, Mother of five Working as a taxi driver “I would love to encourage women to be strong. Women are indeed stronger than anyone can imagine, and they are capable of performing many different roles – the mother, the father, the educator, the provider, and yes, even the taxi […]
Maya, 46, Palestinian Married, Mother of three Homemaker Lives in Shatila refugee camp, Beirut, Lebanon “ When I stood on the stage with everyone in my drama therapy group looking at me and listening attentively, I felt something I never felt before in my life. Not being an important person, but a visible person. […]
Jameela, 50, Palestinian Married, Mother of six Homemaker Lives in Shatila refugee camp, Beirut, Lebanon “ Until this day, I think about how I carried this tiny child in my arms and ran in the corridors of the Shatila Camp, blindly searching for safety, when I was just 17. We would run from one […]
Samia, 52, Palestinian Married, Mother of three Lives in Shatila refugee camp, Beirut, Lebanon “Go out, go to [social] centers and ask if they have programmes or activities that can help you improve in any way. Working on yourself is something essential, and you have to take the first step. Do not be ashamed […]
Amouna, 46, Palestinian Married, Unemployed Lives in Shatila refugee camp, Beirut, Lebanon “Although life can be extremely difficult, I want to say to Arab women to stay strong and keep their faith. We can survive any circumstances we live through, but we do not always have to do it on our own. Intisar Foundation […]
Liza, 41, Lebanese Married, Mother of one Lives in Burj Hammoud, Lebanon ” The explosion was so powerful that it threw my son and me against the wall. We assumed it was a rocket that struck our house, and I was screaming my heart out, losing control and not comprehending what had occurred. My hand, back, […]
Hana, 65, Lebanese Married, Mother of two Employed Lives in Ashrafiye, Lebanon ” After the 2020 Beirut blast, I didn’t fall apart but my house did. I had invested a lot of effort and money to make that house feel like home. However, I don’t care about the loses. I have been able to cope with […]
Lamia, 43, Palestinian-Syrian Married, Mother of four Lives Shatila Refugee Camp, Beirut, Lebanon ” Being a refugee has left me feeling defeated in a fight that I have never had a chance to win. ” My name is Lamia. I am a 43 years old Palestinian-Syrian. I studied until the seventh grade. […]
Um Ameer, 28, Syrian Mother of one son, Unemployed Living in Beirut, Lebanon ” I felt like I was not a wife, but a maid. My family did not support me or stand by me because they thought it was normal to be treated like this. I felt alone in all my struggles. […]
Amal, 39, Palestinian Married, Mother of four Lives in Shatila Camp, Beirut, Lebanon “I used to believe that a woman’s place was in the home, to mop and clean, because my family raised me with the mentality that women could not do this or that. Everything was forbidden. My husband had surgery a […]
Afamia, in her 40s, Syrian Married Arabic and the Quran teacher Lives in Tripoli, Lebanon “While I was growing up, due to the backwards mentality in Aleppo (Syria), many people believed that studying was not a good option for girls, hence I was removed from school after 9th grade. After the Intisar […]
“We had to flee to Lebanon to preserve our lives” Ayyat, 30 Palestinian-Syrian refugee Married, mother of 5 Unemployed Lives in Shatila refugee camp in Beirut, Lebanon “The smallest things used to make me angry, often to the point that I behaved very negatively. For example, I would often hit my children when […]
“I used to spend most of my time crying” Rajaa, 50 Lebanese Divorced Single caretaker of a son with mental health issues Unemployed Lives in Beirut, Lebanon “When my friends first advised me to join the Intisar Foundation drama therapy programme, they knew I had reached a state of helplessness. I was so exhausted mentally […]
“The weight of the secrets that I carry has now subsided” Rose, 53 Lebanese Widow, mother of 3 Artisan Lives in Beirut, Lebanon “I now believe that if we do not talk about our troubles they will never get resolved. There were many things that I had never shared with anyone, but I was […]
“I have a constant feeling of fear about life” Ruwayda, 40 Lebanese Mother of 4 Unemployed Lives in Tripoli, Lebanon “After the foundation’s drama therapy programme, I felt as if I was born again as a completely new and different person.” “I have a stronger personality and now have friends who care […]
“I have started to breathe and feel more” Fatima, 42 Syrian Divorced,mother of 4 Entrepreneur Lives in Burj El Barjne Beirut, Lebanon “When I was in Syria, I had a certain social status. I was a financially independent business woman. Yet, when the war happened, I became just a refugee.” Fatima […]
