When a child loses a parent, a part of them withers away.
When a family bereaves a mother or father, it stands on the brink of an abyss.
The loss leaves a fraction, threatening to draw into it those left behind.
In Israel, 30 thousand boys and girsl under 18 have lost a parent in civilian circumstances- sickness, accident, or suicide. In Hamaniot, we call that the Civilian Bereavement.
A child losing a parent is at 10X more likely to end up in at-risk situations.
The Need:
Orphancy is more than a personal status- it is a dynamic process, everchanging in different junctions in life. Orphancy in early childhood raises abandonment anxiety. In adolescence, it damages the abiltiy to socialize and weakens self-esteem, and orphancy in puberty undermines the ability to look to the future, plan life, and acquire self- capability.
Orphancy draws a clear line between life and death. As a society, there's a real challenge in living besides death, perhaps because of the stark reminder of life's frailty.
Orphans feel that- the drawing back from them, the uncomfortableness of society to talk about death, the pity and compassion holding hands with silo and silencing.
For a young boy or girl, losing a parent means losing the sun in their life.
Our Solution:
At Hamaniot (Sunflowers in Hebrew), we don't give up on our children
On their right for a good and normative life
On their chance to fulfill their dreams and aspirations.
You must know: Hamaniot- there is a place for orphans in Israel.
Hamaniot is the only non-profit organization in Israel focusing on the socio-emotional processing of losing a parent and dealing with bereavement. Our goal is to assist the child and the remaining family unit recover and rehabilitate from the trauma, and pave their path back to a whole and fulfilling social life.
Our Therapeutic programs, spread around Israel create a safe zone for orphans from early childhood to puberty and remaining parents. We invite them to talk about their loss, deal with the death and its consequences on the living and the family unit.
We assist dozens of children every year in group settings of similar Others. Younger orphans are mentored by older orphans, fostering mutual processing and bonding.
Since 2016, we've assisted more than 650 children and dozens of remainig parents.
Please answer our call for donation – your contribution saves a life of a child.