Intisar Foundation remains steadfast in its commitment to fostering long-term and systemic social change across the Arab world. Our mission revolves around enabling the psychological recovery and self-empowerment of Arab women traumatised by war and violence.
The cornerstone of our efforts, the #OneMillionArabWomen initiative, is a visionary 30-year plan aimed at addressing the profound psychological trauma experienced by one million Arab women affected by the trauma of war and violence. Through the integration of drama therapy, education, and research, we aspire to bring holistic healing and lasting Peace to these resilient individuals and their communities.
Field Work:
The Intisar Foundation’s approach to providing psychological support to Arab women suffering from the trauma of war and violence is considered innovative because:
- It utilises drama therapy as the only psychological intervention that addresses body, mind, and the emotions (the neuroscience-based approach).
- Drama therapy is the most effective psychological intervention for circumventing mental health stigma. It employs various activities, from dance to storytelling, which serve two main purposes: (i) enabling women to avoid self-stigmatisation allowing them to overcome their individual traumas at their own pace, and (ii) preventing potential social stigmatisation by being perceived as a ‘creative arts group session’ rather than a ‘psychological therapy session’.
- It is delivered by Arab drama therapists, in Arabic, and within the refugee camps in Lebanon and Jordan or through online sessions open to all Arabic-speaking women.
- The sessions are done in a group setting (20 women) over 12-16 weekly sessions and monthly sessions for a prolonged year, which creates a support group and instills a sense of belonging to one another in a larger community. In being inclusive of all nationalities, including both refugee women and women from the host communities, the Intisar Foundation sessions have proved to be one of the few settings where Palestinian, Syrian, Jordanian and Lebanese women work together in a cultural setting.
Our impact in numbers: 2018 – present
- Reached 744 women affected by war and violence trauma
- Reached 4,464 indirect beneficiaries
- Completed 4,668+ hours of field work
- Implemented over 449 drama therapy sessions
- Facilitated 32 drama therapy programmes
Geographical reach potential:
Current field work – 3 countries (Lebanon, Jordan and Kuwait)
Country or countries where active
- Lebanon, Jordan, Kuwait and in the Arab world
- Future field work – 20 other countries of the Arab world
Global reach potential:
Online reach to the Arabic-speaking population of 400+ million native and non-native speakers.
Research:
We insist that our philanthropic capital must be used effectively and for maximum impact in order to bring about systemic sustainable change for Arab women.
For that reason, Intisar Foundation’s work is meticulously documented, researched, and analysed in order to ensure that the foundation continues (i) delivering measurable and evidence-based results, and (ii) to help offset the significant dearth of research in the field of drama therapy and mental health in the Arab world.
Intisar Foundation’s first qualitative research paper published in David Journal ( https://intisarfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/coverpagePDF-merged.pdf ) has shown that the Intisar Foundation approach leads to significant results:
- 78% of our participants experienced increased self-esteem, ranging between 14% and 33% improvements in self-reported scores
- 75% of our participants experienced a reduction in PTSD, ranging between 8% to 25% reduction in self-reported scores
- 75% of our participants experienced a reduction in depression, ranging between 13% to 37% reduction in self-reported scores
- 75% of our participants experienced a reduction in anxiety, ranging between 11% and 48% reduction in self-reported scores
- 75% of our participants experienced an improvement in satisfaction with life, ranging between 9% and 18% improvements in self-reported scores
- 75% of our participants experienced increased positive emotional experiences and decreased negative emotional experiences
Furthermore, Intisar Foundation’s work has shown evidence of changing deeply entrenched cultural narratives, such as Arab women ending the practice of child marriages due to a newly-adopted belief that they can protect their daughters by encouraging them to gain education that will lead to their future economic empowerment and advancement. The foundation’s team also reports the cases of female victims of domestic violence standing up to their abusers. Plus, another outcome of drama therapy reducing PTSD symptoms associated with aggression and low-impulse control is the reduction of household violence either directly from the mother or indirectly through the reduction of tensions within the household and facilitating better emotional growth and communication within the family.
In addition, Intisar Foundation published the Research Booklet “Can Drama Therapy Evoke Neuroplastic Change In The Brain?” to raise awareness on the benefits of this psychological approach for alleviating war and violence trauma. ( https://intisarfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Neuroscience-Booklet.pdf )
Our team of drama therapists and mental health experts will continue to work on a number of research projects that explore the qualitative and quantitative impact of drama therapy on vulnerable populations. This work is expected significantly to contribute to the field of mental health and psychosocial support in the Arab world and beyond.
We ensure that our work meets the highest quality standards due to being supervised by the Intisar Foundation’s Technical Committee compromising of the world-renowned experts in drama therapy.
Education in drama therapy:
Intisar Foundation’s educational arm is aimed at nurturing the talent of future Arab drama therapists in order to secure the required number of qualified experts who would continue on delivering the foundation’s programmes in Arabic and help it achieve its One Million Arab Women initiative.
In September 2020, the foundation signed a memorandum of understanding with the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (USEK), a private university in Mount Lebanon, to support the enrollment of 15 female Arab students into USEK’s master’s curriculum in drama therapy in Arabic language.
Values:
Intisar Foundation relies on the values of integrity, innovation, and inclusiveness.
Integrity
Intisar Foundation is committed to the highest level of ethical and social standards. As a UK-based charitable organisation, we ensure that our programmes are meticulously designed with the wellbeing of our beneficiaries and our staff at the forefront. We work with world-renowned experts in the fields of psychology and drama therapy to ensure that our interventions comply with the ethical guidelines of psychological care through the use of consent forms, identity protection, and guaranteeing dignity for the women we work with. Our programmes, research activities, and publications fully adhere to standards made to respect the anonymity of our beneficiaries.
Innovation
We have developed a culturally sensitive and effective psychological approach while maintaining the core principles of drama therapy, which is well known and often used in Western countries but, until now, it has not been developed for adequate implementation in the Arab world.
Inclusiveness
Intisar foundation is committed to providing its support to women from all backgrounds and walks of life. Our programmes are open to any woman, regardless of nationality or background, who might benefit from our programmes.
