Building on years of running a successful versatile arts education and psychosocial intervention program, Ayadina is relaunching its program after a forced closure due to the pandemic, under the name “Healing through Art”. We aim to respond to the needs of children and youth in underserved neighborhoods who have lately experienced a revolution, a dire financial crisis, the Corona pandemic and a devastating blast that killed hundreds and maimed thousands.
Healing Through Arts Project
Testimonial from a child whose mother passed away and father is destitute:
(Translated from Arabic)“…after my mother died, I suffered a lot from sorrow. At Ayadina I signed up for drama class; the teacher helped me in overcoming myself, discovering new things of myself. It helped me in releasing my tensions and anxieties. At Ayadina I established the best friendships Ayadina is a safe place keeping children away from the streets.
Testimonial from a mother whose husband is mentally unstable and she is mentally unwell
(Translated from Arabic) “… I need to encourage my children to keep going to Ayadina because I believe it will help them to foster positive thinking, push away negativity and avoid evil behavior. I want for my children to find different ways from mine or their father; I want music to keep them distant from mental illness…”
Testimonial from a father who is a taxi driver struggling economically and whose son does not go to school because of mental problems:
(Translated from Arabic) “My son’s psychologist advised him to attend music classes especially piano. Attending piano classes at Ayadina is the only hope for my son to avoid loneliness and depression. His teacher says he is making good progress and I can see the change in him.”
As we relaunch the “Healing through Art” program the following COVID 19 precautions are taken:
- We have limited the number of students per class to conform to social distancing
- We make sure that all children are wearing a proper face mask throughout the session
- We measure the temperature of each student once he/she arrives to the center, and we disinfect his/her hands
- Children bring their own water bottles to the center
- We make sure children are respecting social distancing during the session
- All art tools, tables, chairs and floors are disinfected after the session
- Any child who has any cold or flu symptoms is not allowed to attend the session (parents are clearly asked to abide by this regulation)
The “Healing through Art “program will restart with visual arts and music classes.
Due to the COVID 19 pandemic, we are working on turning drama and dance into online classes. However, this is a costly and complicated project, and will be launched as soon as funds are available.