Rehabilitation Support For Refugees in Germany

Hamed's Story 

Hamed, a 28-year-old refugee from Afghanistan was a participant in the 3 months art therapy program for adults. At the beginning of the program, he was talking about the great hardships he had in dealing with his current situation of living in a refugee shelter and with the process of his asylum request. He mentioned that he arrived in Germany completely alone with no family or relatives, and that in general he felt very lonely. He was complaining that he felt weak and without enough tools to confront the great challenge.

After few months of weekly workshop meetings, something changed - Hamed was excited to be a part of the weekly meetings, and said that the project is making him feel stronger and less alone. He was referring to the ability to share and process his feelings through art and through speaking, and that in general the experience of being in a group was providing him the opportunity for a new social circle outside of the refugee shelter.

Hamed was particularly happy about discovering art as a good tool to help in coping with his difficulties. He shared with us:

“Last week, when I was waiting for a practicum interview in the federal refugee office, I got very stressed. There were many people waiting with me, and the long waiting and uncertainty was not easy. I took my C.V. that I brought with me, and started to paint on the back side of it, letting go of all my worries. Exactly like we do in the workshop. I had so much fun drawing, that I did not noticed time had passed. When I raised my head from the paper, I saw I am alone in the waiting room and was amused how concentrated I was. I knocked on the door and they agreed to interview me although I was a little late”.

Hamed was explaining that with the help of the art therapy process, he could both deal with traumatic memories from his homeland, but also remember the beautiful things he left behind. “It is hard for me to sleep at night,” he said, “but when I look at the photos of painting I created in the workshop I sleep easily.”

Girl Power

As part of our work in the refugee shelters, we also work in a continuous method on weekly basis with small groups. The children who we work with are normally suffering from traumatic experiences that they carry with them from the war in their homelands and from the journey to Germany.

One of the groups we work with is a group of girls between the ages of 8-11, all of whom had to leave their country of origin due to wars and other difficult circumstances. Although they are relieved to be in a safe country, there are social difficulties, language difficulties, challanges adjusting to new schools and family members who were left behind and are missed.

The girls in this group created by our Horizont Program find comfort in each other. They are able to share and discuss painful topics, to listen to the other group members, and offer each other advice based on their personal experiences. They share feelings while taking part in the art therapy workshop, and the themes of conversation also arise from the creative work itself. When the conversation becomes too intense, each can go back to her safe zone of art. The girls became friends through the shared art therapy process, and now also play together outside of the therapy room. It is heartwarming to see how these girls, at such young age, can provide such strong support to one another.

IsraAID’s team in Germany is made up of a mosaic of Arabic, Hebrew, German and English speaking specialists who contribute their global experience, cross-cutting relationships, and linguistic and cultural aptitudes, to create a unique added value necessary for real, sustainable wellbeing and integration in the complex and challenging German environment. Art Therapy is extensively used by IsraAID's specialists to create a common language and a platform for dialog and trust. 

Help us continue our work with Hamed, the girls, and many more by donating today! Our work wouldn’t be possible without your support!

Thank you!