“Sand castles” help to forget the war

“Sand castle” development and sand painting center organizes one – month courses for 21 Syrian-Armenian children. It is one of the remarkable ideas realized with the support of KAZA Swiss Humanitarian Fund and UN High Commissioner for Refugees/ UNHCR/. The director and psychologist of the center Karine Harutyunyan told womennet.am that their main purpose is an age-appropriate development of a person in harmonious and friendly atmosphere, which will contribute to the development of children’s creative potential, will help to integrate into society, to get rid of negative emotions.

“Sand castle” is a unique institution, a place filled with the smell of art, where everybody has unique skills and personal qualities. The center’s mission is to create favorable environment for the harmonious development of personality, where uniqueness and creative potential of each of them is emphasized.

Our compatriots and their children who emigrated from Syria two-three years ago from psychological point of view were relatively calm compared to those who have come lately.

The latter perceive Armenia in a totally different way, because they have problems not only in adapting to the environment, but also the difference of a spoken language, and great efforts are required to overcome them. Children, who have witnessed bombing, need to undergo calming therapy. Although Syrian-Armenian children are safe in Armenia, but homesickness towards their relatives in Syria tortures them. Some of them want to return to Syria after the end of the war, some more little children have already integrated into the environment and they like it.

According to Karine Harutyunyan the idea to paint with sand is not accidental. “Sand is a natural substance which activates motor function and brain function. It has magnetic force and powerful relaxation effect.

Useful role of sand game was more emphasized when at the beginning of the 20 century they revealed its positive effect and opportunities of application in psychological sphere giving impetus to the development of sand therapy.

In addition to sand children can work with dough, gouache, natural materials and colored sand, It is also an important condition for development of creativity and flexibility.

In “House of sand” drawing hall we met Hakob, Abraham and little Lala, who were drawing sand images in an illuminated table with the help and instructions of their teacher-pedagogue, then they were quickly deleting and painting another image.

Although Hakob does not manage to get perfect images, anyhow it is nice to have contact with the sand. He prefers to draw architectural structures, he has always loved to play with sand and in contrast to pensile, it is easy to remove and paint another picture. He has attended courses for 7 weeks, and although the project has been completed, he would like to participate in another project. He is dreaming of having a table full of sand and always to draw. He does not want to speak about Syria, apparently not all memories are pleasant.

Meanwhile, a pupil of 9^th grade Abraham likes to draw Masis and Sis, storks, he draws so fluently, though this is his first visit to the center. “I will always attend courses. In Syria I was not involved in painting; I used to go in for sports. We live in Abovyan but for sport trainings I come to Yerevan, I like Aboyan more, the air is clean, however I would like to live in Yerevan”.

Abraham’s 9-year-old sister Lala paints trees, gardens, Ararat. In Syria she used to play with sand, build castles, demolish and reconstruct. He remembers how he used to go under the table during bombing. Although she sleeps here calmly, according to her mother Tigranuhi “they have started to look for the days in Aleppo”. I often hear: “I want to go to my home, to sleep on my bed; I want my Aleppo, my toys in Aleppo”. I try to convince, explain that here we are safe, there is no bombing, but they do not understand, swallow, saying there you used to treat me well, here – not. Take me back; I have missed my grandmother, uncle and aunt. The advantage is that here we sleep calmly. My son sometimes gets crazy, says he wants to go to Aleppo, and although in a place of our house is a field of battle.

Through psychological conversations psychologists-pedagogues of the center give a chance to children to tell us about their new environment, new impressions, new friends, and anxiety associated with war have not disappeared, however, through long and patient conversations it becomes possible to reduce their impact.

With regard to this, projects implemented at the center are effective in case of psychological problems – fears, communication difficulties, emotional disorders, behavioral issues, conflicts.

Psychologists of “Sand castle” pay special attention to the work with parents, during which they present in detail the course of the activities and its results, guide the parents with advice on proper treatement in a new environment.

Such meetings are sometimes attended by UNHCR Office Coordinator of external relations and public information Anahit Hayrapetyan and Marine Tunyan “Refugees’ integration through education” who are interested not only in the effectiveness of the program, but also parents’ observations and recommendations, which will be included in further program provisions.

Anush Nersisyan

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