The After-School “Moadoniot” Project for School Children at Risk

This project provides tutoring, enrichment activities, guidance and free meals, in a non-threatening environment for deprived and problematic 7th and 8th grade schoolchildren in extended after-school sessions. These children come from extremely deprived backgrounds. Social workers and educators have evaluated them as being “at risk”: they come from broken homes, where violence is common. Many of the parents are unemployed and in despair, unable to provide decent meals or help their children cope at school.

While the city runs after-school programs (moadoniot) for young children and clubhouses for teens, there are no after-school programs for 7th and 8th grade children.

We use a vacant kindergarten building given to us by the city in one of the Beersheva’s poorest areas. which we renovated for the moadonit. At this writing we have two groups, and are making preparations for additional groups.

The cost per child per year, not including equipment = $1,500
The cost for one moadonit 10-months for 30 children is $45,000