Ruptly

Toy story - Mothers and children process trauma through handmade dolls in latest Gaza initiative

"The 'My Story' project in the Gaza Strip is helping mums and children deal with trauma and grief, using handmade dolls to represent their heartbreaking personal stories of displacement, loss, resilience - and hope too.   "Over a period of one and a half months, we worked with 120 women and children," explained toymaker Yousef Al-Hindi. "The idea was to listen to the women through brainstorming and relaxation sessions, hear the stories and experiences they went through—whether painful, difficult, or positive—and transform them into creative work that began with storytelling and ended with making a doll."  Footage filmed in the Shati Refugee Camp on Sunday shows some of the 120 mothers and children gathered around tables crafting dolls, with completed ones seen on display. Iman Khalil Ghatas, one of the participants, said the dolls were created as a way to release emotions and help heal psychological trauma. "We created this doll as a way of releasing our inner energy and channelling our pent-up feelings and tension. We put all of that into the doll and its story," she said. Gaza continues to bear the scars of war, with talks on rebuilding and governance stalling following the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas agreed last October."

Google Play App Store