On 19th and 20th June, I will be spending a successive 26 hours dressed in a fancy-dress duck costume to raise funds for the production of 26 episodes of our Life in the Desert project and help break the cycle of generational trauma in the Middle East. 

You can find out more information about this project below! 

Anyone who knows me even slightly will know that the duck theme is personally very "on brand". This challenge will consist of me going about my usual Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning as I would normally....except dressed as a massive duck (see costume photo below). That means any meeting, eating, greeting, walking, driving, etc, in the 26 hour period between 12 noon on Saturday 19th and 2pm on Sunday 20th June. By this time, this will hopefully also include attending church on the Sunday Morning in said attire, probably after a very sweaty night's sleep in the thing. Video/photographic evidence will be provided on social media. Need I say more? 

Please give generously to help children across the Middle East battling conflict-related trauma. 

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Our Life in the Desert programme is an animation series combined with interactive workshops that have been developed in partnership with a child psychologist. The programme is aimed at children aged 5-9 who have experienced the trauma of conflict, displacement, instability and poverty, helping them to explore their emotions and begin the healing process. 

Last year you helped us (MEM) raise just over £5,500 for  Life in the Desert, which enabling us to train even more teachers in how to use our trauma material alongside the animation. In total, nearly 2,000 children were supported through this project in 2020 including children and families in Beirut directly after the deadly Port blast which rocked the city. This year, we are championing this project once again. 

Over the past ten years, the Middle East has seen the world’s most deadly conflicts take place within it. Wars in the Middle East are creating generational trauma and destroying families and communities. Those who lived through the deadly wars in the 1980s are now parents in a brand new, deadly war. Children that are forced to leave their homes and move to camps have all, in one form or another, experienced trauma whether through the loss of a loved one or through living in makeshift accommodation without running water or heating. 

We have been asked time and time again by our partners for more episodes of our Life in the Desert project to take into refugee camps and vulnerable communities across the Middle East and North Africa. Since 2018, our partners have shown the first 13 episodes to over 6,200 children enabling them to start the journey of trauma recognition and healing. 

This is what our partners said about the episodes: 

"A story that helps every child to express his feelings and helps every parent to deal with their children in a healthy way.”

“A very impactful story of what children face that shows how they can overcome their challenges strongly and with patience and joy. We need more episodes.”

We want to break the cycle of generational trauma, and to do so, this year we are going to be moving, eating, dancing, knitting, gaming or any other challenge you want to do, to raise money for this transformational work. So far, we have raised money for 23 episodes out of 26. Will you help us raise money for the remaining 3 episodes?