Highlights from 2010

…and what a great year it’s been!

Tu B’shvat has arrived in Israel and although the weather has just gotten cold, the holiday is a sign of Spring. The past months have shown new beginnings for Friends by Nature as we have begun developing a new Garin in Petach Tikva and are continuing to see the growth of the Garinim and its programs in Gedera, Kiryat Malachi, Yavne, Rishon L’Zion and Beit Shemesh.
We are pleased to have been awarded recognition and a special grant from the Israel National Insurance Institute (Bituach Leumi) in order to implement an innovative program focusing on early education toward employment. The program will work with 15-, 16- and 17-year olds over a three-year period, providing orientation to employment, a view of employment opportunities and helping with the transition from childhood to adulthood.  We will need to raise matching funds of $36,000 a year for this program.  These teenagers have a long road in front of them with the army and higher education, but we are looking to help them aim high and reach for their dreams….
As Tu B’shvat marks the beginning of Spring, we must mention our community gardening program, which has gained momentum as we work with community residents in Gedera and Rishon L’Zion on building local responsibility and turning neglected apartment units into better places to live.  Additionally, the Gedera Garin has broke ground on the development of a new greenhouse, located right around the corner from the Shapira neighborhood. The work is long and hard, but the Garin framework is providing the network to make it happen.
The year 2010 saw many Ethiopian young adults and kids alike working hard on becoming successful members of Israeli society.  While some are studying diligently to finish their first and second degrees, others are pushing their way through their army service.   Through it all, we see them returning to their home communities and becoming role models for their peers, as well as successful sons and daughters to their proud parents.
We are happy to report that Friends by Nature is growing and continuing to strengthen the Ethiopian Jewish community from within and as always we thank you for your continued support and concern for making Israel the home for all of its citizens.

Down on the farm

In December, children and families of the Wajjed and “Homework at Home” programs of Friends by Nature’s Gedera Community Garin took a day-trip to a farm near Beit Shemesh.  The participants had the opportunity to experience and learn about issues of sustainability, traditional farm life, agricultural and traditional nutrition.  This fun and educational trip was a special chance for the children to learn about these issues through their parents’ knowledge and experience.  The parents and children took part in activities such as a walking tour of the farm, goat herding and milking, and cooking traditional Ethiopian food over a fire with farm-produced products.  All of the participants had a great time and learned a lot from one another. Click here to view a short video slide show of the trip!

From N. America to Gedera…

…social change is in the works!

In September 2010, Friends by Nature was joined by the Yahel Service Learning Program.  Six post-university N. American young adults have put new life into the Gedera Garin community. Working side by side in Friends by Nature’s community programs, they are helping in every way, including teaching English, developing “Open Space” youth center program and preparing Ethiopian young adults to work at American summer camps.  In addition, the young adults from both N. America and Israel have taken special weekend trips together, exploring Israel from both the Ethiopian and American points of view. Click here to learn more about this fruitful and successful collaboration.

How you can help

Summer fun in the sun

This past summer, four Ethiopian youth from the Gedera Garin had the chance to travel to the United States for an American Jewish summer camp experience at Camp Tawonga in San Francisco. In addition, 12 children from Friends by Nature’s Garinim attended Camp Kimama, a bi-lingual American and Israeli summer camp located in the Machmoret on the Mediterranean, north of Tel Aviv.  Support for this program came from the Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco.

Why did you want to go to camp?
Shai: I wanted to spend time with Americans, to meet other kids and to encounter a different culture. I wanted to make friends from another place. That’s the coolest thing – I can tell my American friends what’s happening here and they can tell me what’s happening there.
Dalia: I like new things and I wanted to have this type of experience. My sister went a couple years ago and she told me that it was a huge experience, an experience I would never forget. I also wanted to improve my English.
What was it like with the American kids?
Shai: Before I went, I was nervous. I was scared that maybe they wouldn’t like me. But I was completely mistaken. The minute I arrived, we were friends. Also, in the beginning it was a little hard for me with my English, but by the time I left, I understood almost everything.
Rachel: The American girls were different but they were sweet and nice. They come from a different culture, but it was really fun to get to know them. They’re very social and friendly.
Dalia: I think American girls have a lot more confidence—everything with them is a lot more open, a lot more free.
Do you think that camp changed you?
Dalia: I’m more confident now. I’m also more self-confident in my English.
Shai: Yes. It was weird to come back. I felt like I was different there. It was weird to adjust from their culture…coming back felt weird.
Would you recommend this experience to other kids?
Rachel: Absolutely. I wish I could do it again.
Dalia: Of course. This is a once in a lifetime experience. It’s a huge loss if  people don’t go. This opportunity won’t come again.
Shai: Yes, definitely. Everyone should go. I’m trying to go back. I want to return to US. I want to see some of my friends from camp.