Israel’s poverty report shows that over 30% of children in Israel are below the poverty line. That means, that means that families in which these children are growing up, often face difficulties to provide even basic needs of their children. The parents struggle with difficulties of daily existence and many children go to bed hungry.
These circumstances lead in many cases, lack of appropriate assistance and support at home leads to a situation in which these children struggle with homework and cannot concentrate in school. Experience shows that they also demonstrate emotional difficulties and find it hard to fit it with their peers and suffer from social rejection. These children develop significant academic gaps that if not detected and treated will only grow and these children may find themselves at risk of dropping out from school and fall into margins of society and even to crime.
Through our branches in the geographic and social periphery we operate specific after school programs aimed to support these families. In the frame work of this after school program we provide the children with a hot meal (which in many cases is the only meal they may have), evaluation of their learning difficulties, remedial teaching and enrichment classes.
Our experience shows that early intervention helps to exhaust their potential, strengthen their self-confidence and self-worth, improve their academic achievements and reduces risk of dropping out of school and falling to margins of society thus helping them become contributing members of society.
- To ensure early detection and diagnosis of children with learning disabilities from under privileged families.
- To provide appropriate treatment to each child
- To increase the children’s opportunities to exhaust their potential and strengthen their self-confidence.
- To improve their academic achievements.
- To provide hot meals and improve nutrition security
Children 1st – 4th grade from families in distress known by welfare authorities, who show significant learning difficulties, did not acquire basic academic age appropriate skills, are not diagnosed as yet and do not receive any relevant assistance in the frame work of the education system.
The children participating in the project will come from schools to the local Nitzan branch, 5 days a week, immediately after school (1p.m – 4 p.m). During this time they will receive a hot meal, remedial teaching, and assistance with homework, emotional support groups and enrichment classes. Once a month we will have a workshop for the parents.
The cost of operation this program annually in each branch is: 186,600 NIS
This is these children’s chance to break the cycle of poverty and failure, and experience success in school and in society.