RIYADH: Reham Abdel Karim Matar, a seven-year-old Syrian girl whose family had been displaced from the countryside in Homs and was living with her parents and brothers in one of the Arsal camps in Lebanon, was suffering. Representatives of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center saw this and stepped in to help.
“Reham suffered from extreme fear due to a traumatic event that led to her isolation and not leaving her tent,” the center, also know as KS relief, wrote in a message posted on Twitter.
“She started therapy in Arsal Health Center, funded by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center, and her condition improved significantly.”
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The specialists handled the case with great care and sensitivity and provided her parents with advice on how to deal with the issue at home, pointing out that what Reham was experiencing was beyond her control.
The organization’s media department told Arab News on Monday: “In one of the psychological support sessions that are provided daily at the Arsal health center, funded by the KSRelief, Salam Abdel Nasser Al-Kanj, the mother of Reham, attended and she finally got the courage to talk about her daughter’s problem with bed wetting and the child’s fears.”
The mother told mental health specialists at the center that Reham began experiencing fear and trauma more than a year previously after one of her husband’s relatives told her stories about ghosts and children being kidnapped. She refused to leave her tent and stopped going to school.
The specialists handled the case with great care and sensitivity and provided her parents with advice on how to deal with the issue at home, pointing out that what Reham was experiencing was beyond her control. She received a number of individual psychological support sessions at the center, where she was encouraged to draw, write and play with geometrical shapes.
She developed a close bond with the healthcare worker and in a less than a year there was a significant improvement in the child’s behavior. Her mother revealed that Reham now enjoys going to school and has made friends with other children there and in the camp.
“Through her tears, the mother thanked the center for its generosity and good treatment and patience,” a KSrelief representative told Arab News, adding that the parent also said: “I very much appreciate your help for my child. May God reward you.”
With the support of KSrelief, workers at the Arsal Health Center in Bekaa governorate are providing comprehensive healthcare services for Syrian refugees.
Last month, the health center also helped 67-year-old Zahia Abdel Haq, who was suffering from serious health problems as a result of forced migration and was looking for a safe place where she could seek help to recover.
She had been forced to move from town to town to survive, until she finally arrived in the city of Arsal where she met Dr. Khaled Al-Hujairi, who carried tests that revealed she was suffering from knee cartilage damage and carpal tunnel syndrome. The doctor developed a treatment plan for Haq and after several sessions at the health center, she recovered.
The assistance provide by KSrelief in Lebanon is part of its efforts to provide aid to people in need in war-torn countries.
Saudi Arabia delivers humanitarian assistance worldwide through KSrelief. Since 1996, it has provided more than $94.6 billion in humanitarian and relief aid, benefiting people in 164 countries.
