Projects

Alexandria – Cairo

I am Dr. Mona Lamloum, founder, and project manager of the “Heal It” initiative; I am honored to share the experiences that come from the “Heal it” project undertaken recently by us.

The main objective was to improve family communication through art and play therapy. In 2023, we implemented this project in two key locations: Alexandria, hosted at AMIDEAST, and Cairo, in collaboration with the Integrated Care Center at Khair and Baraka Association in the Al-Asmarat area. About thirty-three participants were supported per location.

With our strategy inclusive of art therapy, drama therapy, play therapy, and storytelling, there are significant outcomes realized.

Families who struggled to communicate before developed new ways of understanding each other with empathy.

This heightened parental responsiveness led to meaningful changes in behavior among children and a more cohesive home environment for them. For instance, children with difficult behaviors showed noticeable improvements.

The exhilaration that stemmed from our sessions resulted in lasting rekindling and resilient family bonds.

The idea behind this project came up after noticing alarming suicide rates among teenagers because of bad parenting habits or lack of proper care and attention from their parents or guardians. In adolescence alone,

there are five major things I found out were going wrong when it comes to raising kids.

Our goal was to provide crucial support for high-achieving middle and high school students and their families.

I am immensely grateful to our sponsor for their invaluable support and to all who engaged with such enthusiasm in this initiative.

Special thanks to my project team member, Joseph Makar, whose dedication was instrumental to our success.

The feedback and success stories from our participants reaffirm the profound impact of our work, demonstrating the extraordinary potential of creative therapy in fostering stronger, supportive family relationships.

I am also thrilled to note that this achievement marks my third win in the Give It Back competition, having previously won twice: first in 2018, the inaugural year of the competition, and again in 2019 during the challenging times of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This continued recognition is a testament to the ongoing impact and relevance of our work.