The Women’s Courtyard

The Women's Courtyard - A Home to Dream In The past year has shown us how deeply the concept of "home" cannot be taken for granted. For most of us, in a normal reality, home is the place where we feel safe, protected, that we belong. For young girls and women at risk, the homes they came from were often never safe places to begin with and were, at times, even dangerous. For many of them, home is The Women's Courtyard – a physical space resembling a home with a safe yard, where they experience, often for the first time in their lives, a sense of belonging, care, and genuine attention. Here, they can truly feel safe and be themselves. The Women's Courtyard means and represents home for over 2,000 girls and young women aged 13–26 at risk in Israel. It is a place that provides them with what was missing in their lives – a home, in every sense of the word. It is a space where they find safety, a warm meal, a listening ear, belonging, and support, allowing them to cope with complex life experiences such as exclusion, poverty, migration, and trauma. Within this protected environment, they rediscover their inner strength and dream of the reality they wish to create for themselves. The Women's Courtyard operates on four main levels: 2. The Courtyards – informal spaces for girls and young women across the country, offering material, emotional, and social support, along with extensive assistance in advocacy and rights realization. 4. The Therapeutic Framework – a new initiative providing long-term psychological treatment, building on the trust and foundation established in the informal spaces. The importance of this program was highlighted in the wake of the events of October 7 and the severe gender-based violence that resurfaced trauma for many of the girls, significantly affecting their mental health and functionality. 6. Expertise and Professional Guidance – as a leading organization in the field of young women at risk, The Women's Courtyard offers professional training and support to other service providers, including those working with at-risk young people in national service programs. 8. Policy Advocacy – leveraging critical social work perspectives to drive social change related to girls and young women at risk. A home is often an idea or perception that is difficult for the soul to grasp without the support of a community. The Women's Courtyard is a community – an intergenerational tribe of women where they find peace and security, giving them an equal opportunity to dream of a better future. A future that breaks the cycle of violence and distress surrounding their lives and paves the way for change. In a reality where many homes have been left empty and the sense of security has been shaken for all of us, The Women's Courtyard remains a place of hope for girls and young women at risk. It is a place where they learn to take control of their lives, dream of a better future, and work to create it. To continue providing them with this home, we need your help. Your contribution will allow us to open doors to more girls and young women at risk, expand our support services, and provide them with the conditions to envision their future. Help us give them a home to dream in – and to make those dreams come true.