Creating Peace at Home: ICMC Malaysia’s New Video Series
In response to COVID-19 lockdowns, ICMC Malaysia’s Peace-at-Home videos provide activities for families to do together, as well as tips to reduce conflict and improve communication between spouses.
As the COVID-19 pandemic forced people worldwide to shelter in their homes, it disrupted daily life and pushed many activities into the digital sphere. In Malaysia, lockdowns interrupted the International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC)’s in-person awareness-raising sessions on sexual and gender-based violence at a time when fear of domestic violence was on the rise due to families’ homebound situation.
In response, ICMC Malaysia began developing the Peace-at-Home video series. The project was created to address two central problems caused by the lockdown, and thus there are two sets of videos. First, families were forced into confined spaces with a limited number of activities available to them. ICMC created four cooking videos to promote peace in the home and offer families an activity to do together during the lockdown. The videos are tutorials brought straight from the kitchen of members of the Rohingya refugee community. They are all delicious, easy, and fun to make, ranging from chicken curry to lentil soup.
Second, the homebound situation caused by the pandemic was also prone to causing distress among couples and increased the risk of domestic violence. Two more Peace-at-Home videos focus on marriage communication and managing relationships during the lockdown. These two videos provide tips on resolving conflicts and improving marital relations overall.
Peace-at-Home Cooking Videos
In the first video of the Peace-at-Home cooking series, Fatemah shares her recipe for fish curry, which is a nutritious meal ready in only 35 minutes! Follow along with Fatemah’s instructions as she guides you through the recipe. We hope you enjoy it with your family as Fatemah does with hers.
In the series second video, Mariam shares her recipe for lentil soup, or dhal, a simple and healthy meal ready in only 25 minutes. Dhal is a nourishing, family-friendly dish that is good for your heart, so be sure to make it yourself following Mariam’s guidance!
Zahidah shares her recipe for prawn curry in her video. This tasty meal is ready in 40 minutes. All lovers of prawns should try Zahidah’s recipe. You can enjoy this as a meal or as a snack with bread.
In the final video of the Peace-at-Home cooking series, Azizur shares his recipe for chicken curry, which is a nutritious and aromatic meal ready in only 40 minutes. Make sure to try out this recipe to get a taste of Rohingya cuisine.
Videos on Marriage Communication
The second part of the Peace-at-Home video series focuses on marriage communication. The videos present tips for effective communication for couples going through a difficult time in their lives and advice on how to deal with issues together.
The first video on marriage communication deals with resolving conflicts in marriage. It provides tips to help couples cope with conflict in a way that does not trouble their marital relationship but brings them closer to each other.
This second video shares tips to improve the relationship among married couples to strengthen and empower their bond and commitment to each other.
ICMC Malaysia works with refugee communities in Malaysia, creating awareness of sexual and gender-based violence, including violence in the home. It protects and empowers survivors of gender-based violence, providing them with emergency shelter, cash assistance, psychosocial support, and vocational training to help them become self-reliant. The program is made possible thanks to the Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity, whose 2018 winner, late Mr. Kyaw Hla Aung, selected ICMC as a recipient of the award’s prize.