Motasem, eight, says with tears in his eyes, \u201cI waited for Ali to come back home every day. I loved him the most of all my siblings. He always bought me my favourite sweets.\u201d
\nMotasem and his sister Mena lost their older brother Ali in the war and have since suffered intense emotional trauma.
\n\u201cMotasem\u2019s smile was what I loved the most,\u201d his mother says. \u201cHowever since the death of his brother he has become depressed and weepy. I couldn\u2019t help my children with their grief. I needed someone to help me to get over the desperate circumstances that surrounded me,\u201d she continues.<\/p>\n
Motasem’s mother points out that her children\u2019s behaviours had changed significantly after the incident. \u201cMotasem was a lot calmer then he is now and he was clever at school. However, the death of his brother made him more aggressive towards his classmates, and his educational attainment deteriorated.\u201d<\/p>\n
She reached out to Islamic Relief who she knew implemented projects on psychosocial support, in order to help her children through the emotional and mental distress.
\n\u201cI like to go to Islamic Relief along with my mother and sister weekly. I meet the therapist, and we play together,\u201d says Motasem.<\/p>\n
Motasem has recalled most of the events that scared him. \u201cI feared the bombardments and explosions, so I used to hide myself wherever Ali was, and Mena used to stay with my mother. We were so scared, as the ceiling had crumbled over our heads due to the intensive explosions.\u201d<\/p>\n
Motasem lives with his family in a deteriorating home; its ceiling is made of asbestos, and the walls are cracked due to the bombardments.<\/p>\n
But regardless of recent events, Motasem has dreams of becoming a businessman. He says, \u201cthe Islamic Relief therapist encourages me to study hard in order to achieve my goals so I can become the businessman that I envision in my future.\u201d<\/p>\n
Motasem\u2019s twin sister, Mena, has recently overcome her night-time panic attacks. Her mother noted, \u201cMena\u2019s problem has started after her older brother\u2019s death, as she kept waking up at night, hysterically weeping, and having nightmares.\u201d She changed dramatically and got worse, until she received psychosocial support services from Islamic Relief.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy hopes are to dispel these newly found fears towards life, so that no child gets frightened like me, as I fear even cats,\u201d Mena said when talking about what she learned in her psychosocial sessions.
\nTheir mother praised Islamic Relief is efforts in helping them heal. \u201cIslamic Relief has revived us again and made us feel happy through much needed support. My children have found a place where they can play, be children again and heal from their trauma. Thanks to Allah, we have found people who have stood beside us and helped,\u201d she concluded.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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