Many of you may remember fourteen year-old Raya, who recently volunteered at our Malki Children’s Center in Amman with her mother Lena Tuffaha! She spent the day assisting our Malki team with various aspects of our program, including art and sand therapy. During her time there, she learned of the struggle many children face to get to the center once they are accepted into our program. We do have a school bus we rent monthly, however many children live outside of reach from the bus routes and simply cannot afford to dedicate money towards reaching our center through public transportation. This is especially problematic for children living in a few of the camps that are difficult to reach.

When Raya returned to Seattle, she decided to buy the children at our Malki Center a school bus! She has been working tirelessly to raise awareness and funds for this cause. So far, she has been able to reach 75% of her goal. You can learn more of her fundraising efforts here. We couldn’t be more proud of Raya! We are blown away by her dedication to SCM and the children at our Malki Center. SCM believes every child fleeing from traumatic experiences deserves the opportunity to enter a program where they can heal, regain their innocence, and begun to grow emotionally in a safe environment. We are so grateful for supporters like Raya, who believe the same!

As you’ve all probably have noticed, it was a very busy month for our Malki Children’s Center in Amman; graduations, visiting volunteers, and preparing for a new incoming group!

We had 13 children graduate in April, with 2 children continuing their treatment and joining another group of students that attend 3 days/week.  Some children need more assistance than others. Luckily, our program is flexible enough to support the various needs of the children for as long it is needed. With the new additions, this group now has 21 children. Our Malki Team has been working hard and have screened students to replace the 1^st group. 20 children have been selected to start the 2 days/week program, which will begin this week.

Dr. Mohanad Absi, our Lead Psychologist at the Malki Center, has been witnessing a reoccurring theme with the children this past month. Unfortunately, the children have been struggling with anger issues, phobias, chronic nightmares, anxiety, depression, panic attacks, and sudden emotional/physical reactions when reminded of traumatic events. Many have also experienced some sort of abuse. Some children and their parents have been forwarded to a psychiatrist who has been volunteering with us to on Tuesdays for drug therapy. In addition, Dr. Absi has also been providing clinical psychological assistance to many mothers of the children. We believe that a child’s wellbeing can only be achieved with the family’s as well, and with an environment (in and out of the center) is one that promotes healing and growth.

As for visitors, we had the privilege of having Jean Bradbury from Studio Syria work at the Center. Jean has been a strong supporter of SCM’s projects, and has volunteered her time here in the states and in Amman to assist us. Be sure to check out her comment and pictures below!

“Such a wonderful morning working with the Syrian kids at the Malki Center in Amman – sponsored by the Salaam Cultural Museum in Seattle. Beautiful staff and beautiful kids. Studio Syria donated art supplies and children’s books to be used for traumatized children who have fled the conflict in Syria.”

Check out the photos below of the graduating class of April 2015! The children at our Malki Center had a graduation party, complete with every child receiving a handmade quilt. These quilts were made by devoted crafters in the states, and are prized possessions by many of the children and their parents. They have a tag that states where and who it’s from, in addition to a space in which the students are able to write their names in. Thank you to Carolyn Sower, Judith Meeker, Quilts without Borders, and Jackie Lambert for providing us these beautiful blankets!

We are gearing up to take in another group of children who have been traumatized by events out of their control. Our Malki-SCM Children’s Center provides psycho-social support to these children, providing a space for them to heal and grow, just like a child should. Please continue to support our Center by visiting the donation page on our website. Thank you! 

Again, Samia El Moslimany shared photos from the medical mission taking place now in Jordan. These are from day 2 when they held a clinic in Madaba. Thank you Samia for sharing! You can see more of her work at www.photographybysamia.com.

The group went to the Malki-SCM Children’s Center then went to Madaba, and had a visit to Mount Nebo after the day’s work was over.

 

 

Emilie Whitman is a young American from Wenatchee, WA who is volunteering for 6 months at the Malki-SCM Children’s Center. She also helps out with the distribution of the supplies and clothes we send to Jordan. She will be in Jordan helping out until December. The blog below is her personal blog about her experiences in Jordan working with the Syrian refugees.

September 4, 2014 by Emilie

Today we received these videos taken at the Malki-SCM Children’s Center in Jordan. We just raised enough money at our fundraiser last week to operate the center for 6 months, which was our goal for that event. We need to keep it going, though, and continue our efforts so we can keep the doors open for many years to come. The resources available at the center are desperately needed by the traumatized Syrian children seeking refuge in Jordan with their families.

You can donate to the Malki-SCM Children’s Center Fund by clicking here.

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