A hot meal program for Yad Rachel children

The future is the estate of the child. We are in charge of helping it to develop must help it to develop. We must find the optimal environment for the child to define, and then provide it. Yad Rachel is a leading NGO in the development and implementation of educational and therapeutic programs that assist children at risk and their families in Israel to successfully cope with the challenges of life. Over 500 children at risk, living in emotional neglect and having behavioral difficulties or learning disabilities take part in Yad Rachel Afterschool Center educational therapy programs on dhe daily basis, all over Israel - from Kiryat Bialik in the north to the Gaza surrounding areas. Here we offer them a test that detects their unique problems and needs. Each child is supported in accordance with individually created program and is being treated by a team of counselors, teachers and therapy specialists from various fields. The team works in full cooperation with parents, teachers, schools, welfare offices and other relevant organizations. Every day, the end of the school day, organized transportation brings the children from schools to Yad Rachel Centers. There a hot and a nutritious lunch is already waiting for them and other activities in a warm and supportive atmosphere, when the attitude to each child is personal, caring, loving and very professional. Years of work full of attention to our children, led the multi-professional team to forming the model which enables maximum success, a model which partially bases on "Maslow's hierarchy of needs". Only after filling basic survival needs, self-realization of child can be achieved. On the way to recovery and braking the cycle of poverty, we must not skip the satisfaction of basic needs like feeling of satiety. It was proven in several the studies that insufficient or malnutrition, can cause in behavior and learning difficulties, therefore we begin the day with nutritious, freshly cooked hot meal, prepared, in most, inside the Centers by our staff members and sometimes even together with our children, which make them feel more like home (unfortunately for some children this is the only hot meal they may have during that day). The program is accompanied by a nutritionist to provide best fitting, nutritious and varied menu. We provide 10,500 meals a month, for about 500 children. Each meal costs about ₪13. Total cost per year (10 months net) is ₪ 1,365,000