IFCJ:

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'A Little Peace of Mind'

Dana is a single mother of six, a native Israeli who works long hours in the catering business. Due to rising food prices and increases in rent, she still finds it hard to make ends meet. She can barely afford to pay her rent and her bills for food, electricity, and water.

Dana and her children live in a two-bedroom apartment that is in horrible condition. Though it costs $600 a month, it was the cheapest apartment she could find within reasonable distance to her work. The plumbing is broken, the toilet rarely flushes, and the bathroom door doesn't close. Dana cannot even afford to buy enough beds for her family. "I went to the welfare department three times asking them for beds, but they never helped," Dana explains. "I work 8-10 hour days, and in order to go to the welfare department to make this requestI must take off of work and lose money. Read more

Project Facts:

Each family/child chooses furniture that best suits their needs from a catalog. Each piece of furniture is made specifically for each child or family so it fits into their home.
This year, of the 2,500 children participating in A Corner of My Own, 50 percent are new immigrants, mostly from Ethiopia and the former Soviet Union. Most have large families (on average, 4 children).
This is the first time many of these children have had a proper bed, dresser, or desk.
The local economy also benefits from this project by employing 400 workers to make the thousands of furniture pieces. These items have benefitted 5,000 needy children from 1,200 families in more than 40 communities throughout Israel.

Summary Report

The Fellowship's partner organization, Yedidim, recently prepared a summary report about A Corner of My Own. It provides the background and rationale for the project, details about the furniture that was distributed, data about the families helped, "before and after" photos, and personal stories from program volunteers and family members who have received assistance.

2008-2009 End of Year Report

Before and After Photographs

A Corner of My Own — The Story of One Family

Learn about other Guardians of Israel projects, and see other project pages

For the third year, the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (The Fellowship) is providing funds for basic furnishings to help school-age children from needy families all over Israel have a comfortable and functional place to do homework, read, relax, and sleep. Launched in 2008, A Corner of My Own has provided more than 5,000 children a better in-home environment for studying and resting, giving them a better chance to succeed at their school work and, ultimately, to become productive and successful young adults.

Thanks to The Fellowship and its generous donors, approximately $1.3 million has been earmarked this year for the purchase of furniture to help 1,200 families from over 40 communities around Israel. In addition, the project creates the need for thousands of pieces of new furniture, which are constructed by an Israeli furniture company, thus employing an additional 400 workers and avoiding layoffs during these difficult economic times.

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Two Suitcases and No Money

The Salvia family came from the former Soviet Union just one year ago. Mrs. Salvia, a single mother of a 16-year-old son and a 10-year-old daughter, doesn't speak much Hebrew which made it difficult for her to find a job. She earns minimum wage working as a nanny for another Russian family in the neighborhood. Through a translator, Mrs. Salvia explained to Rabbi Eckstein, "We couldn't afford rent, food, and electricity on my salary, so my son had to drop out of school and start working… Read more