“Life’s Challenge”
“Uh…that fear! The fear of anything that might threaten her life with strong belief in the presence of ghosts and superstitions that not exist at all”.
Raneem is an eleven year old syria girl, who suffered from psychiatric disturbances that strongly affected her personal and social life. Raneem and her family live in Manshia Bani Hassan in the Mafraq Governorate in the northeastern of Jordan. Fear overshadowed Raneem’s life. Always complains from tension, stress, and hated life so much. She has suffered the most, with extreme tension, confusion, being affected by violent TV scenes and animation movies, and this negatively affected her life as a child.
She told us about the main reason behind the deterioration of her psychological state, saying: “I was watching a horror movie with my siblings, suddenly a mummy appearing in horrific pictures on TV, I was shivering and began to talk with incomprehensible words, and from that day on, I couldn’t sleep well and always afraid of everything around me”.
Then the war in Syria exploded and Raneem’s psychological state deteriorated future. As the conflict in Syria worsened, Raneem and her family left their homeland and moved to Jordan. She grew up with fear and anxiety where the most trivial things became as a horror and reflected on her social/personal life.
“My daughter is a smart and calm child but she suffers from severe fear and what to make it worse, her father is sick and she has trust issues. Uh…that fear! The fear of anything that might threaten her life with strong belief in the presence of ghosts and superstitions that don’t exist at all. Sometimes she is laughing, sometimes crying for no reason, but definitely her only refuge is my bosom”. Raneem’s mother says
With the passage of time, her psychological condition worsened and wished if she didn’t come to life. Once they heard about the Family Center from a Jordanian neighbor and they went to the Center. She joined the Center after two years of suffering, and from there she began a new challenge. She found safety, love, and her life started to change.
Family Centers were established in Mafraq and Karak Governorates to enhance the quality of life of Syrian refugee families in Jordan. The two centers implement projects funded by Vision Hope International for children, women and girls. Through various assistance programs designed to help people in all stages of life. For the After-School Program, Syrian and Jordanian children receive homework help and engage in age-appropriate activities designed to help them resolve trauma and improve academic performance, the Young Women’s Program girls between the ages of 15 and 25 develop personal and professional competencies through life-skills classes, computer courses, and handicraft activities, there is also the Women’s Program, in which Syrian and Jordanian mothers participate in activities, such as cooking and sewing classes, and receive individual and group therapy. The Employment Promotion Program allows qualified women to receive training and a small grant so that they can earn an income by opening their own businesses.
In the Family Center, Raneem has learned the meaning of friendship, and how to better deal with people. The presence of teachers, friends and the therapist in her life has greatly contributed to the improvement of her condition. Raneem said: “I got to know the Family Center, because I found what I was missing… Everyone here loves you as they love their brothers. And more, they f ear for you as your parents. I found someone who listened to me, who understood my feelings, I found someone who helped me to face my fear and my ignorance about life secrets. My teacher Ayat was the friend, guide, and treatment of my condition. She held my hand and led me to safety, she was the first who heard me and the first I trusted in my life. I am now the most powerful as promised. life is beautiful if we see it as well”.
We talked with Ayat, the psychologist who followed the case of Raneem and explained to us the improvement of Raneem since her arrival at the Center, saying: “Raneem gradually underwent several sessions of psychosocial therapy. She was afraid of her own shadow and could not deal with people, so everyone for her felt like monsters. She is now able to face problems and get rid of hallucinations. Her confidence increased first in herself and in her community. She broke the barrier of fear and anxiety and became a normal girl with her family and everyone around. Life is beautiful when you feel like a normal person”.
