Amit L’Mishpacha in Rehovot
Helping children with special needs and their families
Through the Amit L’Mishpacha program (Friend of the Family), The Ruderman Family Foundation is making life easier and much more manageable for children with special needs in Rehovot, Israel.
The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) created the Amit L’Mishpacha program in 2004 to help reduce the stress of raising a child with special needs, and to enable parents to better manage their households. The program works by cultivating a network of volunteers who can help families who have children with special needs on an ongoing basis. Volunteers may relieve parents of household duties, mentor a child with special needs, or spend time with other siblings in the family.
Over eighty volunteers have been paired and matched up with families according to their skills, personality traits, and interests. All volunteers stay in close contact with the program director and meet regularly to discuss general topics relating to children with special needs. A social worker is also assigned to each family, providing a detailed assessment and ongoing advice and support.
The Amit L’Mishpacha program operates in partnership with the city of Rehovot and the Ministry of Welfare. Currently, there are sixty families who have children with special needs benefiting from the program.
Photos used with the kind permission of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, who retains all rights.