By Serey Samchet | Director Ragamuffin Cambodia / Arts Therapist
“Lotus”
Ragamuffin Cambodia Be Yourself’ Arts Therapy Service or Vulnerable Young Women
Overview of Lotus Project:
So far, our work in Cambodia, we have been working with many young people who have been suffering with psychological and physical trauma, attachment issue, chronic disease, poverty, suicidal ideation, depression, anxiety, and other types of abuse. Throughout our work, we have learnt that there has been a significance lack of mental, spiritual and physical health care and support that caused by social stigma, domestic violence, and poverty in their communities. As a result, they found themselves very disempowered, worthless, and invisible in society. For this pilot program, our project aims to provide the opportunity to 30 young women to receive in depth therapeutic workshop care and supporting collaboration with local NGO in Cambodia for recruiting and referring clients.
Lotus project is a twelve weeks course to empower young vulnerable women in Cambodia. It was aimed to redeem and develop their inner strength, discover positive resources for life, and build relationships to achieve the following:
Overview of the process:
As soon as the project was approved, we started our work by making an official announcement to both local and international organizations who have been working to support vulnerable young women around Cambodia. Our goal was to look for potential young women who were interested in improving their lives through our self-development program and wished to become a potential peer supporter in their community. First, we began with the induction training to inform about the objectives and goals of the program to filthy two girls. Then, we started the recruitment process by meeting the girls in individual and small group in order to assess their commitment to the course. As a result, we selected only 30 of them who fit the criteria of the course. The selected girls suffered by HIV infection since birth, orphan, attachment issue, sexual abuse, and domestic violence which resulted emotional, physical and social stigma. Most of them have never had any opportunities to attend any self-development program before. Some of them lived in the shelter, independent home care, or with their relatives. Throughout this rare opportunity, we aimed to take them through the self- awareness journey and hope this will help them to begin a new chapter of their lives.
The course is designed to take the girls through four phases. In the first phase we helping them begin to discover the essence of who they are. Then we help them recognize and discover their existing internal strengths. In the third phase we teach more personal coping skills for their daily life’s challenges and improving self- care. In the final phase we encourage and teach them to mentor and support their peers. By the end of the course we hope the girls will gain in confidence, self-awareness and that it will empower them for the better future. It was run by two qualified female Cambodian arts therapists and clinical psychologists who are highly passionate to work with young vulnerable women in Cambodia and to bring healing and nurturing their lives for the better. We used creative healing process and different arts forms such as drawing, body movement, sand tray, storytelling, and journaling as to help the participants to reflect on their learning, experiences, and understanding of the lessons. In addition, to make an effective learning experience and integrate their knowledge, the facilitators have developed the learning approach that allowed the girls to have both individual and group experiences which helped them to gain support from themselves and others.
The key themes emerged during their reflection were most of the girls in both groups had identified many life challenges currently and in the past that have influenced on their personality, self-esteem, confident, and communication which impacted on their hope and life vision. Many of them found so much uncertainty and helplessness in life.
“I have been dealing with many problems in my life. I am not sure how my life will be in the future especially when I think about my future career and family’s life ”
Some of them found the reflection process very helpful as it helped them to aware more of themselves and to realize that they still have time and opportunity to grow and change in the future. The sessions were found to be inspirational, and meaningful to the girls.
“I saw myself like a piece of garbage that would not be recycled. I meant I am not valuable but I want to see myself to be like a strong colorful tree that could bring out hope and inner beauty of other people”.
Restoring, discovering, and recognizing their own strengths.
From session three to session six, our goal was to help the girls to recognize and discover their own internal strengths, resiliency and personal resources. The girls were asked to make series of images which reflected on the journey of life. The aim was to help the girls to reflect on how they managed stress and conflict, learn how identify life’s issues, interpersonal and intrapersonal needs; discover hope, and strengths that have helped them to handle challenges in life.
“ This is the first time in my life to feel that my heart is listened and heard by a group of young girls around the same age. My friends here have made me feel respected no matter what happened to me in the past nor how I look like. I have never imagine I could I ever felt this way as I am an orphan with HIV, I often feel I do not deserve love or belong to anyone life".
We are now on a very important journey to try our best to help the girls to discover the essence of who they are, and to empower them to activate and vibrate love within their life and to others.
Developing Coping Skills and Improving Self-care
From session seven to session ten, our goal was to help the girls develop more coping skills and holistic self-care tools in order to enable them to improve their quality of life. In order to integrate and enrich their learning process, they were given some reflective exercises and lesson on mindfulness, self-care planning, self-gratitude, and journaling. Each exercise was designed to get them engaging more in depth within themselves in order to explore news tools through individual and group work.
Throughout this exercise, they have begun to understand the importance connection of the body, heart, and soul, how they were affected on each other and vice versa, and what it meant to be healthy as a whole. Some of our girls have discovered the impacts of their past trauma that have affected them physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
“After I went through a traumatic experience in the past, I have had some unexplainable physical pain such as chest pain and migrant. I went to see the doctor but they said there was nothing wrong with my chest. I used to think sad memories could only affect my mood but I now realized that my body is trying to communicate to me about the unhealed wound of my heart”
Moreover, they learnt to identify needs of all parts of their body, heart, mind and soul and how to mindfully communicate and respond to those needs.
“I used to hurt myself physically and emotionally when bad things happened to me by blaming my fate, cutting my hand, or staving myself. Now, I have learnt to accept and grateful to some bad experiences in my life. I learnt that they could help me grow and change in my life if I change the way to look at it”
“I used to have a very sad life and hate myself very much. I used to believe that I could never get out of it nor let it go. I often look out to other people to console me when I was sad. Today, I have learnt that I could be a best friend for myself no matter what happened”
How to be a good peer mentor to other young women?
During this phase, our goal was to help the girls to begin to become good mentors for themselves and their peers. The aim was to reflect on the meaning of care, boundary, attachment, and how to be a good peer supporter. The girls were asked to make symbols of care which reflected the advantages and challenges of being a carer.
The key theme that emerged during this session was they gained deeper understanding of the meaning of care and how it affected them and others. They learned that care is the foundation of love. We noticed that this topic triggered many memories, both good and related to their own experiences of giving and receiving care. Many of them found their life lacking in love and care from their families and people around them due to their life’s circumstances.
“Care and love are like the oxygen of my life, I would feel incomplete without them’’
Some girls felt grateful for their lives even though they do not receive care as much as they have wished for. Despite being orphans or abandoned by families, several said that their orphanages are like a home and they are so grateful to be supported by the organizations.
At the end of this phase, the girls felt more confident in taking care of themselves and other people. They will try their best to be a good supporter for themselves and their peers.
Outcomes of the Lotus Project
During the last session of the course, the groups were asked to reflect on the progress and changes they had made after twelve weeks course. The following are the significance transformation that they have made:
First, they found that the course had given them the opportunity to improve both intrapersonal and interpersonal skills which include social communication and self-confidence. By spending time with other girls, they felt they were loved, belonged, and accepted.
“I am an orphan. I have been feeling like living in a lonely world though I was surrounded by other people. This workshop has given me the opportunity to aware of myself and to improve my social skill with other people. I feel like I have found sisters and good friends which have changed my world”
Moreover, most of the girls from both groups mentioned the improvement in their self-esteem and self-awareness. By discovering their inner qualities of who they were, it has inspired them to help other vulnerable girls at schools to learn to find their inner qualities, self-knowledge, and talents too.
“ Before the course, I saw myself like a very vulnerable tree without a soul that was dry and gradually dying. Now, I see myself like a tree that is standing strong enough for myself and could bear fruit which could benefit my life and other. I believe I can inspire other vulnerable girls through my life’s stories and other experiences. I hope I can help them to find themselves too”
They found improvement in self-care and became more grateful for what they have in life. They felt that they have been reborn.
“Before I joined this workshop, I did not care about my life. I could not feel the surrounding environment. I felt the world was empty. After, I completed this course, I felt I was reborn again. I began to get in touch with my life again. I smile and I feel the beauty of my world. I love myself and grateful to everything I have experienced”
They gained more understanding on how to be a good carer for themselves and other people. It was found to be one of the significance learning points which helped them to deeply understand about the right way to take care of themselves and other people.
“ I have realized that though my care for other is the way to express love and concern, it is so important that I need to respect their needs and boundary. A good carer needs to learn to be a good supporter for herself first”
It helped them to discover a new vision and hope of life.
“After completing this twelve weeks course, I look at my life differently. I was more opened to look into my inner world. I become a caring person toward myself and the other. I found myself become more mature and reflective”
They believed that once they could find light within them, they will be able to empower other to find light and hope within them. And, they hope this will become a cycle of love, connection, healing for other girls and the next generation.
“I believe when I can bring healing and peace inside my heart, I soon can help other people to heal their heart and I hope this will give good impacts to our next generation”
Graduation Ceremony
This ceremony was organized at the end of the course. We aimed to make this event as special and memorable as we could in order to celebrate and honor the progress of each girl who has been working hard on their self-development. At that time, they were given the opportunity to express their gratitude toward themselves and others by writing poem, song, or making creative symbols and then shared its meaning to the whole group. Each symbols expressed the recognition of personal development, achievement and things that were needed to further their care and development after completing the course.
“I am so grateful to myself for allowing myself to grow
I am grateful to my friends for inspiring me to grow
I see myself like a sun that is shining for myself for others.
It is named ‘hope’
I hope the light within me will become an inspiration for others
Everyone is special and unique and we all has something to share and give to others’’
I believe the change within me will cause the ripple effect to my peers here, the
schools and community”.
Reflections from the Team
Throughout the 12 weeks journey with both groups, it has been an absolute privilege to be the facilitators of this fantastic lotus project. We have been feeling so delighted and proud to work with them. From one session to another, we felt very moved to witness the progress of their incredible self-discovery journey. We apparently can see very well that of how much this type of program is needed and benefited to them as well as their system such as their peer, community, and surrounding people. We believe in the power of inner healing and how it can cause the ripple effect to the next generation. We believe that when a person find the healing within herself, it is like finding hope and significance change of her life. This program has planted some positive seeds in the girl’s hearts such as seeds of belonging and confidence. These seeds will be more likely to grow with further care. After all they are orphans without much of a social and fina
By Carrie Herbert & Kit Loring | Directors of Arts Therapy Services
By Kit loring | co founder
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