Artist Abdulmajid Afifi, to Moatinoon: My Journey in Serving the Displaced

My journey with displaced children began long ago. I worked in the Abu Shouk camp, alongside a group of displaced individuals, and in other camps across Darfur.

Under the current circumstances, I, too, found myself in a state of displacement, albeit in a different way. I didnt reside in a shelter; instead, I lived with my family in the city of Kosti. However, I embraced the concept of displacement, which is being forcefully uprooted from ones home.

The current experience with the children takes place in entirely different economic, social, and war-torn conditions compared to what I encountered in the camps of Darfur, where they were supported by numerous organizations providing everything necessary for working amidst the displaced. Here, we were taken aback by the absence of any support, forcing us to dig the ground in front of the shelter to extract clay. We initiated what we call serious play with the children, and they responded enthusiastically. Its remarkable how engaging children in the realm of play always sparks high levels of responsiveness.

Building on that, we transitioned towards a more therapeutic approach by introducing a methodology in collaboration with psychological experts affiliated with an organization. This methodology involved conducting psychological assessments through interactive activities.

We devised shapes and forms for the children to create, and we aimed to repeat them over and over again. With each repetition, we measured their experiences, their emotional reactions, and their responsiveness to the ideas presented. The experiment proved to be transformative, achieving its intended purpose. Subsequently, it could serve as a foundation for a psychological rehabilitation program for the children. The workshop served as an exploration of the childrens issues. Moreover, within the wide leisure time in the shelters, where activities were lacking, our work filled the void. Simultaneously, it contributed to improving their mental state, assisting the intervention efforts of the psychological professionals. This was the essence of the workshop and the future workshops within the shelters in the Kosti area..