How does the Forgotten People Fund break the cycle of poverty for this often over-looked community?
Since their arrival in the country in the 1980’s and 90’s, life has been far from easy for Israel’s Ethiopian community. For the older generation, who were never taught to read or write, learning Hebrew proved an enormous challenge. Additionally, most of the teenagers arrived with no secondary school education and quickly dropped out of the Israeli school system. The community struggled to adjust to their new life and find ways to make ends meet – and poverty, unemployment, domestic violence and crime still remain serious problems.
Today, the Forgotten People Fund (FPF) is a lifeline for this community, providing financial and practical support as well as putting a huge emphasis on education. They supply aspiring students with computers to facilitate their studies, and they offer scholarships to assist those who wish to study for a professional qualification or advanced degree, giving them the best possible chance of a successful career.
FPF also offer a Rapid Response Team which provides emergency support to members of the community with critical needs such as lack of food, medication, housing repairs or utility cut-offs. The team ensure that these families have a safe, warm, and healthy environment to live in.
With FPF’s support, Netanya’s Ethiopian population is being transformed into a thriving and successful community.
Every story matters
MEET ASHGERO
Ashgero is 23, the third of five children. Her family arrived in Israel in December 2000 when she was six-months-old and her parents subsequently divorced. Her mother worked as a cleaner to make ends meet but struggled to find regular jobs whilst balancing her childcare responsibilities.
Ashgero is a bright, ambitious young woman who dreamed of becoming a nurse but neither parent was able to support her financially and the intensity of her studies prevented her from taking on a job. Thanks to a scholarship from FPF, Ashgero is now in her third year of a four-year nursing course, and she is expected to pass with flying colours.
In a letter to FPF, she wrote…
“I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for your scholarship. There is no doubt that without you I would not have been able to survive this year – it was not easy both academically and financially. By the grace of God, I finished all the exams on time and even managed to achieve very good results thanks to the scholarship that allowed me to focus on my studies. Currently, I’m doing my ward experiences at Rambam Hospital in Haifa.
“I want to thank you very much and it is amazing that there are people like you with such big hearts.”
