Context & objectives
For this programme, The Red Pencil entered a partnership with APOC, which is a charity registered by the Egyptian Ministry of Social Solidarity. Their objective is to support and treat children with cancer for free and without discrimination or waiting lists. It provides its services to inhabitants of the governorates of Alexandria, Kafr El Sheikh, Beheira, and Matrouh, which equals to about one fifth of Egypt’s total population. Approximately 1,600 children are treated each year at BAUH. According to recent statistics, the number of children fighting cancer each year in Egypt is estimated at 8,000.
The mission as described by APOC and BAUH is to improve the ability of treatments to develop and grow through continued research and education efforts while preserving the rights of cancer patients to access free integrated health services. It is in this context of education and integrated care that the Red Pencil initiated a project for BAUH’s physicians and nurses in charge of hospitalized children.
The objectives of the programme were to:
- Learn arts-based self-care tools for coping and tempering damage caused by various traumas, so that caregivers can find relief and resilience in what they experience daily, in their work and in their personal life.
- Experience and apply what participants learnt in the training in order to help and support their beneficiaries, the hospitalized children, with therapeutic art tools.
Impact
Participants have expressed the following about the programme :
“The programme improved my way of dealing with reality and helped me to deal with patients and relatives.”
“I experienced positive changes after applying the tools and guidelines shared with us during art therapy sessions. It made an impact on me.”
“It was a wonderful experience. It gave us hope and peace.”
“It increased the level of engagement with children, gave me more confidence and it improved my skills in the work place”,
“The programme helped me to connect deeply with patients.”
Partners
Our gratitude goes to Alta Mane Foundation, Capital Group & Van Well van der Snoek Stichting for their support and to our partners, APOC and BAUH for their trust.
