Where Mental Health Care is a Refuge Home for Adults with Intellectual Disability: An Al-Malath Film, Palestine
Mar 18, 2026
Four grassroots, community-led mental health organisations
A team of 25 creatives across five countries unite
One story.
Countless ways to care.
What Makes You Proud: How Communities Care for Mental Health is a globally collaborative film sharing the stories of four grassroots, community-led organisations across Nigeria, Palestine, Colombia, and Vietnam.
This blog series shines a spotlight on each of the community-based mental health initiatives (CBMHIs) featured in the film What Makes You Proud: How Communities Care for Mental Health.
While the film brings their stories together across continents, this series takes a closer look, highlighting each organisation’s work, their journey, their hopes for the film, and the creative teams who helped bring their stories to life.
Watch the trailer of the film here.
Presenting: Al-Malath Charitable Society for Youth with Intellectual Disabilities, Palestine
Founded in 2006, Al-Malath provides education, specialised therapy, and care for adults with intellectual disabilities. Through dignity-centred support, their vision is for individuals with intellectual disabilities to live with joy and happiness of reaching their potential. Read more about their work here
Al-Malath Team's Aspirations for the Film:
From the beginning, the Al-Malath team were clear about what the film should centre on. They had already created other videos that told the story of their organisation and how it began.
This film, however, had a different purpose. At the time of filming, the team had been asked to vacate the space where they ran many of their activities and were searching for a new home. The film therefore became a way to document why this space mattered to the community and the role it played in supporting people’s wellbeing. You can donate to their campaigns by clicking here.
The Team Behind the Story
Al-Malath's story was filmed by the promising filmmaker Anna Maria Hawa. The filming experience helped Anna overcome some of her own discomfort.
“I had never really come into contact with people with disabilities or their families before. I would pass them on the street or in public places, but a cloud of embarrassment and fear of making them feel different always held me back from truly looking at them eye to eye.
During this project, through the camera lens, I finally managed to overcome that discomfort. For the first time, I was able to meet them at eye level. The encounter moved me. There is not a trace of judgment in their communication. They are open, sincere, and honest. The experience gave me a new perspective and peeled away layers of judgment that often accompany me in everyday life.”
Beyond the Film: When the Camera Sparked Curiosity
Sometimes the impact of a film project shows up in unexpected ways. Beyond documenting Al-Malath, the presence of the camera sparked a moment of curiosity for the young people. One such moment stayed with Anna-Maria:
On the first day I arrived, the children didn’t quite know how to react to me. I had a large camera and tripod, and it was clear they saw something new, fascinating, maybe even a little scary. Some were curious, some shy, and some just ignored it. But there was this one boy that kept watching the camera, fascinated. Sometimes he would stand behind me, completely absorbed by the process of filming. By the last day, he was standing right next to me, watching what I was capturing through the lens. I felt as if the camera opened a little window for him into another world.”
‘What Makes You Proud’ film features three other CBMHIs from Vietnam, Colombia, and Nigeria. Watch the full film here.