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“ 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 we progressed, I noticed that my confidence was growing.”
My name is Warde. I am 47 years old. I am originally Syrian but I have been living in Lebanon since I was 19. I relocated here when I married my husband who is Palestinian. Together, we have five children and live in Shatila Refugee Camp in Beirut.
I studied until 6th grade. I have worked small odd jobs on occasion, but I recently started a small business with my cousin where we prepare after school snacks for children and sell them on a car in the camp. It does not generate a lot of money, but it is a nice way to stay productive and I hope to expand and grow with time.
I have been through many challenges in my life, but I have always faced them with strong faith in my heart that, no matter what happens, I can always overcome them.
The worst day of my life was when I found out that my nephew had died during the war in Syria. I was in Lebanon and unable to reach my sister or family to comfort them and grief with them. I was beyond shattered. I spent two weeks completely unable to speak with anyone or do anything, until my sister, his mother, intervened and spoke to me.
“I had always felt like my emotions and thoughts were too complicated and my words never served me, but in this drama therapy, I was able to express myself and understand others even without words.”
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 we progressed, I noticed that my confidence was growing.
During the sessions, we knew that there were no restrictions and that we were allowed to talk and express ourselves freely. In my life, I had always felt like my emotions and thoughts were too complicated and my words never served me, but in this drama therapy, I was able to express myself and understand others even without words. Our facial expressions and movements did all the talking.
At some point in my life, I forgot that I was a human being and that I owed it to myself to treat myself with the same warmth and care that I have always shown to others. I’ve always been a giver who cared more about helping others than thinking about oneself. I gradually understood that taking time to refuel my energies is not being selfish. Even if the work isn’t finished, I can take breaks if I’m tired. Today, I don’t feel guilty about prioritising my own needs. I won’t overlook or disregard my own needs anymore.
Since then, I have been trying not to allow my own emotional burdens to affect my family and children. I find that emotions are complex and are changing and that I should not define myself as a happy or depressed person, rather a person who experiences life with its ups and downs. I am open to the world as it comes along. I take every day as it comes.
I hope all women who go through hardships can realise that faith and a strong mindset can help you through anything. We can look at history and all the difficulties people have experienced and be inspired by their strength to carry on and thrive. We do not have to do it alone – a supportive programme like Intisar Foundation’s drama therapy groups can help us through these times.
“At some point in my life, I forgot that I was a human being and that I owed it to myself to treat myself with the same warmth and care that I have always shown to others. I gradually understood that taking time to refuel my energies is not being selfish. Even if the work isn’t finished, I can take breaks if I’m tired. Today, I don’t feel guilty about prioritising my own needs. I won’t overlook or disregard my own needs anymore.”
Officially registered as a humanitarian organisation with the Charity Commission for England and Wales in 2019, Intisar Foundation is the first charitable organisation in the Middle East dedicated to providing psychological support programmes of drama therapy to Arab women affected by the brutality of war and violence.
Intisar Foundation
Number 22, Mount Ephraim,
Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN48AS
UK Registration Charity Number: 1182384
For more than a month, we are witnessing how international humanitarian law fails to protect Palestinian mothers and children.
Day after day, we have been lamenting and denouncing new acts of violence that brought injustice and the bemoaning loss of innocent lives in Gaza.
And yet, Palestinians in Gaza still face new perils with every next hour.
In writing this letter to the world as a demand for action to end this suffering, I join millions of others who have condemned the continued Israeli aggression and call for an immediate ceasefire.
We at Intisar Foundation also invite you to join us in working on preventing this trauma to linger and gnaw through another generation of Palestinians, and Arabs in general.
The mission of Intisar Foundation is to bring Peace to the Arab world through the psychological recovery of Arab women traumatised by war and violence, which can result in the women stopping the continued cycle of violence inflicted on or by them.
In this way, our work helps Arab homes traumatised by violence become more Peaceful again.
The ripple effect of this outcome can be that Peace flowcharts from one Arab home to another, from one Arab community to another, reaching and affecting our whole region.
In its very essence, therefore, Intisar Foundation’s work has always been about breaking the chains of trans-generational trauma.
While I salute people around the world confronting this injustice – from the world’s best universities, influencers, civil society activists and organisations, to ordinary people taking to streets and social media to raise their voices for Peace – I am now certain that we will not resolve the Palestinian crisis only with ceasefires, humanitarian aid, or rebuilding their homes and neighbourhoods.
We need to recover and protect the souls of current and future generations of Palestinians, and all Arabs, from this trauma.
To that end, Intisar Foundation is committed to turning this terrible man-made tragedy into a healing woman-led victory for Palestine, for humanity!
Intisar AlSabah
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