JDC-ESHEL is a non-profit organization founded and supported by the Israeli government and the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee. JDC-ESHEL strives to improve the status of the elderly population in Israel, developing conditions and services to guarantee better quality of life for the elderly, and to improve the image of older people to society as a whole.
JDC-ESHEL has established three distinct programs for elderly new immigrants from Ethiopia. One is an employment program in Ashdod , which utilizes the craft abilities of this group, and at the same time incorporates into the program Hebrew language classes and social and cultural activities to help this group integrate into Israeli society. The Ethiopian crafts project is designed to take advantages of skills and crafts native to Ethiopia, and turn it into an employment opportunity for those elderly new immigrants who are unable to find work on the open market. The work is done in a group setting, which encourages the development of social relationships, and additional support is provided to the elderly in marketing their work and in developing skills which help them integrate into Israeli society.
The second program is an exercise and nutrition program in Rechovot where new immigrants from Ethiopia are paired with veteran Israelis in a walking group and in cooking lessons to share recipes and prepare special dishes together.
The third program is a Supportive Community which provides community services that enable elderly Ethiopian immigrants to continue living in their homes within their communities thanks to a comprehensive basket of services. Ethiopian elderly immigrants have joined Supportive Community programs together with elderly from other countries of origina in Kiryat Gat and in Hadera adn several additional programs throughout the country are planning to incorporate Ethiopian elderly.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment