Despite our differences, we can all agree that art and colors can inspire, and give us a boost of happiness, energy and hope. This is why we have art therapy, to help with many psychological and behavioral issues which people might have. Art therapy can also help patients fighting a tough battle – such as cancer patients – to have hope and keep going. That was the goal behind Nour El Nemr’s Fabrics of Hope project.
With a small coincidence, Nour El Nemr managed to spread color into the lives of many cancer patients. Through her journey as a volunteer in 57357 Hospital, and her love for design and colors, she was inspired. She thought the nurses’ scrubs were of good quality but had no fun spirit that would benefit the children. That was until she got the opportunity to design the scrubs used by nurses and doctors in the hospital.
This is what made Nour’s design stand out, it was a design made of children’s drawings. And 25% of the revenues from it go back to the hospital. They are also manufactured in “Establ Antar” by Egyptian women.
Thus, Fabrics of Hope started. Nour held sessions with heroic children fighting cancer, and began teaching them about art, art history, and great artists such as Picasso, Kandinsky and Klee. After that, she started brainstorming with them about the issues with the regular scrubs worn by nurses and doctors. “I found that the most common issue with the scrubs is that even though they’re colorful, they do not speak to the children, express them and give them hope for tomorrow,” Nour says. This is how she got the idea to come up with 12 sentences capable of helping children face their fear of cancer. Sentences such as “you’re Superman”, “you’re a princess”, “you’re not alone”, “face all challenges”, “tomorrow will be better”, “we love you”.
Nour El Nemr studied political science at the AUC. And her love for design started when she took a course by designer “Shosha Kamal” in 2016. “This course helped me advance in the field. I felt that I could change the world through design. I began reading about the power and influence of colors, and how we can use design as a tool to deliver a message,” Nour continues, “and that was when I thought of cancer, because it is the harshest journey anyone could go through, and that is why I decided to bring out the good side of this journey, which is love and hope.”