"In
March, 2009, with a generous three year funding
Society, JDC established an important social/educational program in one of
Israel
’s worst cities for a disadvantaged and vulnerable group: Ethiopian
Israeli schoolchildren.
Click here for the story of one Gamla volunteer
A Special Thank You from JDC
PROJECT
GAMLA
Volunteers Assisting Ethiopian-Israeli Students
For
many Ethiopian-Israeli students, poor attendance levels, weak literacy and
mathematical skills and little involvement in classroom discussions and
activity are the norm. The combination of teachers who are not
attuned to their unique cultural background and specific needs and a home
environment that provides limited, if any, academic support, leave many
Ethiopian-Israeli children frustrated or falling behind in school, with
nowhere to turn for effective help. Not surprisingly, the high
school dropout rate among Ethiopian-Israeli students is twice the average
rate. Even among those who finish twelfth grade, only 41% pass their
matriculation exams and receive a high school diploma (as opposed to the
50% rate among veteran Israelis).
Time
for Tutoring
Project
GAMLA (a Hebrew acronym for “Retired Volunteers Teaching
Ethiopians”) was developed by JDC in order to help Ethiopian-Israeli
students stay in school and succeed in their studies. It is intended
for students who have fallen behind in a particular subject or who have
difficulties with basic study skills, such as reading, writing and
comprehension. With older students, the program is specifically
focused on preparing them for their matriculation exams.
GAMLA
offers intensive, one-on-one tutoring for Ethiopian-Israeli students,
first grade to twelfth, through volunteers – including many retired
teachers with years of experience – who meet in the students’ homes,
or in some cases, in local community centers.
The program offers a unique opportunity for these volunteers to use their
skills and knowledge to assist a needy population. Volunteers take
part in a training seminar to increase their understanding of the unique
needs and background of the Ethiopian community. The regular
presence of an older adult in the home who provides tutoring sessions also
benefits the family as a whole, as the volunteers form a relationship with
the parents, in addition to the youngsters.
Originally
developed for the Ethiopian-Israeli community in
Jerusalem
in May 1999, GAMLA has now been introduced in other immigrant
communities and at the initiative of the Aspen Pomegranates, is now in
Lod.
The first step to
establishing the program in Lod was to hire local coordinator whose
responsibilities include program coordination, partnership building and
recruitment of both students and volunteers.
JDC was lucky to find Shira who has a great deal of experience in
management and youth education.
Shira, 25, is a member of an urban Kibbutz, a group
of Israelis who have chosen to live in a depressed part of the country in
order to work for social change. A former member of and later youth
movement counselor, Shira was also part of the elite teacher corps in the
army.
Shira began working in April, and has begun to develop important
strategic partnerships. She has met with the leadership of the local
educational system in order to identify the schools and students with the
strongest needs, and with local volunteer organizations in order to
identify potential volunteers.
In
less than a few weeks of active recruitment, the program has five
volunteers teaching 10 students. Most
of the students are between 3rd and 6th grade and
each student receives one-on-one tutoring.
The following is a
profile of one volunteer and her student:
Gal
is eighteen years old and is doing pre-army national service in the school
system. Gal is a model counselor and creates excellent relationships with
her students. Through Shira, she has begun individual work with Habetmo.
Habetmo is a nine-year-old
Ethiopian-Israeli boy. His father left the house when he was a child and
they are not in touch with him. Habetmo has difficulties in school and his
grades are very low. He has a hard time concentrating and no motivation to
learn or do his homework.
Through daily work, Gal has been able to establish a close
relationship with Habetmo and has helped him not only with his home work
and preparation for exams but also has helped him increase his self esteem
and motivation.
With
Gratitude
The
social and economic challenges facing citizens of Lod are among the most
challenging in all of
Israel
. Programs like Gamla, that
give disadvantaged students an opportunity for success, are essential to
improving scholastic achievement and for providing a unique framework for
the establishment of relationships
with native Israeli’s who can help them navigate Israeli society, model
successful habits and improve their lives.
The Gamla project in Lod would NOT have been initiated in Lod
without the foresight, commitment and generosity of the women of
UJA
Aspen
Valley
. On behalf of Shira, the
volunteers, the students and the city of
Lod
, JDC thanks you for taking this initiative to be a partner for change in
Israeli society."
Jennifer
Kraft
