Thirty-five teenage girls escaped from the daily threat of persecution and violence in northern Iraq for a week this summer as part of Open Doors’ trauma counseling program in the country.
“It was a great opportunity for these teenagers to have some kind of holiday relaxation in a country of terror and violence. For them it was a real treat to be involved in such a summer camp,” said Manal, one of the coordinators of the Hope Summer Camp.
Camp organizers visited church and youth leaders along with orphanages and asked them to select the most traumatized girls to participate in the camp.
“It was difficult when you have to make the choice regarding who will come and who will not since most of them needed such a camp,” Manal said.
All 35 girls arrived at the camp located in northern Iraq where they were given training, heard lectures and participated in fun activities.
Also, one of the staff members, a doctor, gave a lecture about infectious diseases in childhood and child protection. The information was an eye opener for many of the girls. As a result, many of them came to the doctor for medical treatment and advice. During another day the doctor gave two lectures, one about communicable diseases and the other about general healthcare for girls. Again after the lectures, the doctor treated girls suffering from various diseases. Many of the girls have no access to medical healthcare.
“During the week we also showed good Christian movies and distributed gifts to the girls,” said Manal.
He added that some of the girls were “quite traumatized so we put them into our extended program of trauma counseling.”
“Open Doors continues to minister in Iraq despite the recent increase in violence,” says Open Doors USA President/CEO Carl Moeller. “Many of these youth have known nothing but chaos and violence. Some have watched as loved ones have been killed or wounded. Getting the girls into a camp for a week is a step in the right direction. Many of them will receive follow-up counseling and treatment.”
Previously, Open Doors launched a new ministry in Iraq focused on helping train teachers, church workers and others who interact with traumatized children.
Some of the sessions taught by instructors included: child and teenage development, emotional development and the need for children to express and manage emotions and feelings, understanding child trauma , art as therapy, how children respond to trauma, symptoms and effects of post traumatic stress disorder, the healthy grief process and forgiveness.
