Helping vulnerable children, one step at a time.
Crossing the Negev, All for the Kids!
From March 31st to May 16th 2008, three men walked the entire 960km Israel National Trail, from Tel Dan in the north to Eilat in the South, to raise money for children's charities in Israel and Africa. It was an incredible spiritual, physical and mental challenge which received world wide Jewish press coverage and managed to raise $20,000 for the charities. Thanks to sponsorship from aish.com no money was taken from donations to pay for the event, so the money given to the children was maximised.
It was a great way to connect to the land of Israel and come into contact with its varied people, nature and history. See below to read about the causes, the challenge and the walkers. You can check out the blog to read some stories and see pictures and videos of the walk.
"All for the Kids Fundraising Walk 2008 helped make a difference in the lives of some of the great number of children in the world who are suffering from a lack of such basic needs as food, education and stable loving families. We have seen firsthand what a huge difference a bit of money and some caring, passionate people can make to alleviate this suffering. We want to help kids reach their potential and live their dreams."
The causes
We support projects which:
· provide food, education and emotional support to children who would otherwise not have these basic necessities.
· have undergone rigorous checks to make sure they are using funds efficiently, effectively and honestly.
· are run and staffed by local members of the community, and rely as little as possible on outside help. The aim is to empower people to help themselves, not to become reliant on outside help. This will make projects largely self-sustainable, create jobs in the community and make the people feel attached to it as part of their own lives.
· we have personally visited and seen, firsthand, what is going on. We want to build a relationship with the staff and children.
This walk was in aid of 2 projects in Israel, and 1 in Malawi, Southern Africa, in which Bradley worked for some time.
Bet Hayeled:
provides a loving home to children at risk. Set up 14 years ago on a religious kibbutz in the north of Israel, Bet Hayeled cares for children who have been removed by social services from their family home to escape a cycle of distress, abuse and violence. Nine children currently live in this loving foster home and are rebuilding their lives in a warm, nurturing, safe community. As well as being part of a family unit and the kibbutz, these children receive weekly psychological counselling, as well as having all personal needs met. Bet Hayeled continues to support them after they ‘graduate,’ and recently they had a wedding for one of the original members of the home. With more money they could provide the same care for more children at risk. Visit their website at www.bethayeled.org
The Forgotten People’s Fund:
provides vital support for the Ethiopian Jewish community.
Poverty, unemployment, domestic violence and hunger are huge problems in these communities and the Forgotten People’s Fund is doing all it can to relieve the suffering.
Of course, it is the children who suffer most. The ultimate hope of this aliyah, the children suffer from chronic poverty which limits their educational possibilities, leads to malnutrition and impacts their general health. FPF distributes food vouchers, runs social clubs, provides clothes, pays bills and school fees and has an emergency fund to help these families in desperate need in the Netanya area. If the children can be given a better upbringing the cycle of poverty can be broken and there can be hope for next. Visit their website at www.fpf.org.il
Kuunika Foundation:
This is the project in Malawi, in which Bradley volunteered for 2 months and formed a strong bond with the staff and children. Kuunika provide 2 meals a day as well as full time education and activities for over 200 vulnerable children and orphans. When the kids ‘graduate,’ Kuunika help fund them go on to higher education in government high schools.
They are seriously short on school materials and sometimes have no paper to write on or pencils to write with. They eat one bowl ofporrige a day and now have their own field where they grow vegetables.
They are renting a property at the moment, but would like to be able to get their own land and buildings and eventually offer a wider range of services to the community in general, for example clinics and jobs. The teachers are on a voluntary basis at the moment as they do not have enough funds, which shows how committed the teaching staff really are, even though they themselves are suffering from poverty. They are especially educating the children in regards to HIV/AIDS and family planning to make sure that these problems and all the problems associated with them come to an end. Visit their website at www.kuunikafoundationmw.org