Techmed Gaza (Mental Health)

The Gaza Virtual Reality (VR) Tent Project is a project Mosab Ali, in partnership with Sameer Project, is launching on the grounds of Refaat Alareer Camp in Zawayde through crowdfunding. Previously this initiative was running in a tent near Al Aqsa hospital but unfortunately the tent got burned down due to bombing in May and then again in the October fire that killed Shaban Abou Dalou. This is why the tent will be moved to Refaat Alareer camp. 

This innovative initiative, conceived by electrical engineer, entrepreneur, and founder Mosab Emad Ali, aims to provide a nurturing and engaging environment for children traumatized by the ongoing war, as well as a stress-relief outlet for medical staff at Al-Aqsa Hospital. Mosab, inspired by trying to help his own child deal with his injuries and subsequent evacuation, understands the profound need for such a space firsthand. 

Before the war, Mosab had a game development company, which had side projects helping children with special needs through the use of VR. 

Having met hundreds of traumatized children while working at Al-Aqsa Hospital, he began thinking of ways to provide them with some relief. Armed with a VR set he managed to salvage, he realized how open children and even medical staff were to the experience and how much it changed in terms of their overall mental health. Thus, the Gaza VR Tent project was born. 

The VR tent will feature immersive virtual reality games designed to transport the children into serene, enchanting worlds filled with animals and nature, encouraging them to communicate and express themselves in ways they haven't been able to recently. This therapeutic approach not only offers a distraction from their grotesque realities but also aids in their emotional and psychological recovery. The progress of children will be monitored and handled by therapista and psychosocial councellers. The Techmed team will be getting trauma-informed training by experts online. 

With this funding we will buy as many VR headsets and monitors as we can, develop customized games tailored to the specific needs of each child's trauma (such as games designed to improve communication skills for children struggling to express themselves), and create welcoming packages filled with toys and sweets to help make the children more receptive to treatment. We hope to expand a larger treatment space and increase the number of doctors we work with. This technology will not only be used now during the ongoing aggressions and its resulting trauma, but VR therapy will be an important tool in Gaza's recovery and healing, no matter the timeline. 

Please consider supporting the Gaza VR Tent. Your generosity can light up lives and will make a difference in children's lives as well as the overwhelmed medical staff. 

This project is a collaboration between Techmed and the Sameer Project.