Video : Understanding for better action: a course in positive parenting

In Cairo, Fatma, a mother of three, struggled daily with a lack of understanding. Ali, her ten-year-old eldest son, couldn’t sit still, couldn’t concentrate, and resisted any form of authority. “I thought he was just disobedient,” she confides. Exhausted, she sometimes ended up hitting him. Until the day she attended an awareness session on positive parenting, organized by an Asmae partner organization. There she learned about Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), a condition that affects attention and behavior. She realized her son wasn’t doing it on purpose.

With the help of a psychotherapist, she learned to set rules without violence, to give him breaks, and to acknowledge his efforts. “I’ve taken an important step: I no longer hit any of my three children,” she says proudly. The father, initially skeptical, eventually came on board with the approach. He met with the therapist, opened up, and adapted. The child began to make progress and gain confidence. He changed schools and is thriving. “My son is extremely happy at his new school,” says Fatma.
At home, the hitting has stopped. Discussions have replaced yelling.” “Today, when a situation arises, my son says to me, ‘You understand how I feel, Mom.’ And I reply, ‘Yes, I understand.’ Honestly, those words mean the world to him. I didn’t realize that before.” Thanks to the PEACE program, Fatma hasn’t just learned to protect her child: she’s learned to listen to him, to understand him, to support him. And the whole family has rebuilt itself around this new awareness.

Thanks to the generosity of our donors, Ali was able to receive comprehensive support that changed the course of his life. Ali’s story is not unique. It is similar to those of hundreds of children we support each year in Egypt, the birthplace of Sister Emmanuelle’s mission. And by 2026, thanks to the PEACE program, 16,000 children in 5 countries will benefit from enhanced protection and a safer environment in which to grow up.