"This family has gone from dependency to self-sufficiency—and is now able to help others." That's how their mentor described Danny and Tseganesh Bruk of Rishon LeZion, recent graduates of a three-year JDC empowerment program for Ethiopian-Israelis.
“The first time my 14-year-old son saw me using a cane for the blind he went completely pale with shock. That’s when I knew I needed to confront my disability and to find a way to help him deal with it too,” says Ella, 40, a working mom whose sight has been degenerating steadily for the past seven years. “Being a parent and a spouse with a visual disability presents a lot of challenges. I needed help overcoming mine.”
Struck by tragedy, 23-year-old Avigail was raising her three young sons alone. Find out how JDC’s employment training program for disadvantaged Israeli women empowered this Kavkazi immigrant.
Shmuel worried that his withdrawn teenage son Dror was on the brink of self-destructive behavior. Learn how a JDC father and son basketball program got Dror and his teammates off the street and onto the court.
When Haled discovered his son Muhammad was born with severe mental and physical impairments, he felt angry, guilty, and afraid he wouldn’t be able to connect and communicate with his child. Learn how JDC helped this struggling dad in Israel see the joy in his son’s smile.
In Israel's new initiative for at-risk youth, local communities cast a loud vote for JDC-Ashalim's groundbreaking programs, which are now reaching tens of thousands of additional children. Learn about an Ethiopian-Israeli student who is benefiting from one flagship initiative.