As part of our newest efforts to help the children in our programs across villages in Egypt, we’ve launched efforts specifically to aid in helping the emotional health of the children and those in their families. Our hope is to help all of those partnering with us in ministry to understand emotional health and the challenges these families face in this area. So, we’ve done a quick Q&A to get the conversation started! Read through these questions and answers below and please shoot us a Facebook message or email to continue the conversation.
1) What is “emotional health” and what does it mean when we talk about it for a child and family in Egypt?
Emotional health is the same with the Egyptian child, as with any child on the earth, or any human. It’s the part that connects spirit with body. Thoughts, feelings and behaviors are intricately and directly connected and understanding the “health” of the emotions, very simply, means understanding the condition of how these connections are functioning in a person’s life. In other words, is the child or adult in control of their feelings and behaviors and are they positive or negative as an overall. For children, feelings are like colors. They are basic, real and tangible, and dramatically alter their life.
2) Why do you feel emotional health is an important investment in a child and family in Egypt?
Investing in a child’s mental health helps him become a “normal” person, in the same way that helping someone’s physical health brings a normalcy to their life. It grows resilience in the child that helps him in facing crisis. Being able to face problems in a healthy way, learning how to acknowledge and “control” feelings are ways of growth and learning. This growth becomes a variety of ladders that they can climb on to discover the capabilities that reside in themselves. This becomes a truly long-term lifetime investment in the child and the family.
3) What do you see as the biggest need in the children and families in the villages in southern Egypt in the area of emotional health?
The most common thing for children in Upper Egypt is that the child’s personality, their strengths, hopes, dreams, etc., is completely altered and perhaps even “wiped out” through extreme violence and abuse–this is commonly both physical and emotional abuse. But assisting after the abuse is only one solution. We believe in changing generational effects of abuse, meaning that we believe if we teach the children and help them achieve strong emotional health, the generational cycle of abuse will stop and they will not carry it forward.
4) What kinds of programs and efforts is Awladna/Our Children doing for the children in the program, and their families, in order to improve their emotional health?
We use a specific program that was developed for children and teenagers that teaches life skills, how to deal with life crisis, and how to recognize and control your feelings. It also address different kinds of abuses, the feeling of anger specifically and how to deal with it. Additionally, the program teaches them about their own psychological needs and how can they fulfill those needs in the right and healthy way. We also have opportunities for specific times with mothers and fathers where we address emotional health in the ways we can in those times.
5) What is the main prayer we should pray to ask God’s help in this specific area of need?
We ask that you would be continually praying for every child to have their inner peace restored and that they would be released from their fear so that they would be open to talking with our volunteers and staff.
