About
The Children of War Foundations’s (COWF) mission is to enable greater access to global health and education to communities affected by poverty, war, social injustice, natural disasters, and climate change. COWF works with an extensive global network of professional healthcare partners, from clinicians to consultants, private, public, and academic and institutional entities to promote collaboration, innovation, and solutions to bridge the gap between healthcare equity and its accessibility worldwide.
Background
Known for their commitment and focus on improving health, moral, and social development outcomes for youth, COWF’s team in Jordan primarily serves marginalized, refugee children and their families from Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Sudan, and Ethiopia.
Application and Solution
Working across triage clinics, hospitals, and refugee encampments, COWF partnered with Invincikids to promote better access to immersive technologies for health and pain management across their Jordan programs. In Jordan, COWF's team used the VR headsets and preloaded programs supplied by Invincikids for hospital applications and improved children's mental well-being in local communities.
Clinical Pain Management
Many Syrian refugees often arrive in Jordan sick, injured, and at a high risk for infections because of the overcrowded living conditions. High levels of stress can also cause further complications and risks for patients, especially women and children. COWF implemented Invincikid's program, particularly for pediatric patients receiving medical care at Italian Hospital Amman and other local hospitals and triage clinics.
Mental Wellness for Children
In refugee encampments based near the capital Amman, the COWF team introduced virtual reality therapies at their COWF School of Dreams located on the Syrian border to help children who suffer from severe anxiety and high stress due to their living circumstances and environment. Additionally, the significance relating the emotional well-being of the children in the current difficult times due to the lack of other forms of after-school activities which are currently scarce and or non-existent due to lockdowns, decreased aid funding and social distancing as well as restriction and policies implemented to fight COVIID.
To promote wellness, emotional well-being, and mindfulness, COWF began an after-school program where students could test and experience the VR headsets as a means of entertainment and positive distraction.
As part of their after-school activity, instructors gave students the chance to play with the VR program. Once the children completed their VR game, instructors would regroup the students and ask them about their experience to fortify and reinforce a positive memory.
