Social and Economic Justice Projects

Many organizations provide tzedakah – charity – to the chronically underprivileged sectors of Israeli society.  New Israel Fund of Canada works on the root causes of poverty, building and strengthening social justice organizations throughout the country. From the Galilee to the Negev, and from urban centers to isolated development towns, we’re assisting minority communities to find their voice and improve their status. Below are some of NIFC’s projects with a focus on social and economic justice.

Northern Lights

In 2011, Shatil is partnering with NIFC to continue strengthening civil society in Israel's Galilee region by focusing on building relationships among NGOs, various levels of government and educational institutions. Driving these initiatives are principles of social justice and sustainable growth and development. An example of this year’s activities is assisting NGOs working to improve the support services for new immigrants (primarily from the Former Soviet Union) and strengthen the resident-municipality lines of communication to address the formidable challenges they face in acclimating to Northern Israeli society.

Southern Lights

NIFC has increasingly turned to a neglected area of Israel – the Negev. Shatil's initiative Equalising Education for the Negev Bedouin empowers members of the Bedouin community to improve their education system and build local leadership. Community leaders hone their organizing skills, meet with members of Knesset, learn about collective rights within the Arab minority and the legal rights of children to a quality education. To further help residents of the Negev, Shatil has spearheaded a Local Sustainable Economic Development (LSED) model that is changing the economic landscape by keeping both human and financial capital in the Negev. In the critical area of employment, Shatil creates a network to address inequalities in the workforce (particularly in terms of manual labor where abuses abound) and educates workers about their rights.

Em Habanim Smecha

Two economically disempowered segments of Israeli society are the Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) and single female-headed households. NIFC works with the NGO Em Habanim Smecha to help address a population that straddles both groups by mentoring girls from single female-headed households in the Haredi community. In assisting these girls with academic help, counseling and therapy by trained mentors, it is hoped that they can eventually escape the cycle of poverty that is all too prevalent in such families.

The Aguda Barak Project

One of the challenges of LGBTQ youth is the higher than average high school dropout level. The pressures resulting from being identified as gay− including the lack of acceptance by school mates and faculty− can make the school experience difficult to endure.  The Barak Project with NGO the Aguda provides counseling and classes for LGBTQ students by specially trained teachers often from within their community. The goal is to prepare them for state-run, standard final high school exams (Bagrut) which are an important milestone in Israeli society. The project’s goal is to stem the tide of poverty among LGBTQ youth and present alternatives for those who did not fully complete high-school graduation requirements.