Rehabilitation Support For Refugees in Germany

New Horizon for Children

Yana, aged 9, escaped from Syria with her parents and one brother. After the long, difficult journey, the family was sent temporarily to an emergency refugee shelter in Germany.

In the shelter, Yana joined IsraAID’s 'Horizont' art therapy program for young refugee children. The sessions provide a safe, creative space for these children to process some of their experiences, and be together in a supportive peer environment.

During almost every session in IsraAID's art therapy program, Yana occupies herself with themes related to food. She speaks a lot about the 'bad food' she ate on the way from Syria to Germany and in the various shelters she has since lived in, in Germany, and reflects on the food they used to eat in Syria. The IsraAID art therapists provide a safe place for Yana to process these thoughts. (See picture below of one of Yana’s creations) Initially, Yana was quite skeptical about the 'Horizont' art therapy program, however, she has slowly opened up, created new friendships and agreed to share her feelings and thoughts with the group.

Ali, aged 8, is an Iraqi refugee who recently resettled in Germany with his family. Ali struggles with some traumatic memories from his arduous journey from Iraq to Germany. He also really misses his former home and is dealing every day with conflicting identity issues. During his art therapy sessions, as part of the Horizon program, Ali only paints pictures of the Iraqi flag – he has created 20 already! This repetition gives him a sense of safety and stability. With the help of IsraAID's art therapists, Ali is slowly beginning to accept his new surroundings. The relaxed, positive space in the art studio gives him a sense of calm, and helps him channel his energies into a positive direction. 

IsraAID in Frankfurt

Twice a week, two of IsraAID's Arabic-speaking mental health professionals in Frankfurt, host group therapy sessions for adult refugees living in the city's shelters.

The sessions aim to help the refugees process their traumas and deal with their uncertain current realities. The women’s group starts every meeting with dancing; “It really relieves the stress of each day and allows them to relax and enjoy,” says one of our facilitators. 

Furthermore, IsraAID’s Arabic-speaking team in Frankfurt is training service providers from all around Germany, who work with the refugee community. The first session had over 50 participants from various organizations, who operate in the field of Gender-Based Violence prevention and Women Empowerment. After a four-hour training, many participants requested to have another session for their teams and organizations! IsraAID's Germany team is excited to plan many more!

New program with Yazidies

Recently, IsraAID Germany started the first part of the Support Group for Yazidi Women program in one of the refugee-shelters. Our Yazidi Community Manager is working together with our Art-Therapist to facilitate support group to Yazidi women living shelters, offering them emotional and social support. More updates to come in the next update! IsraAID has been working with the Yazidi population in Iraq, Greece and Germany for the past three years and developed a strong bond with the community.

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