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אור שלום
אור שלום

News & Announcements

Orr Shalom's Response to Recent Attacks in Israel

In the wake of the tragic attacks on the State of Israel, particularly in the southern communities and those bordering Gaza, Orr Shalom’s Board of Directors, management, and staff extend their heartfelt condolences to the grieving families. We send our wishes for a swift and complete recovery to those who have been injured and for the speedy and safe return of all hostages.

Over the past two weeks, our dedicated team has been working tirelessly, with sensitivity and professionalism, to offer physical and psychological assistance and support to our foster families, the children in our Family Group Homes, and our graduates. We remain committed to ensuring their safety and fortifying their resilience for as long as it takes.

We stand in solidarity with the enlisted and reserve soldiers bravely facing the challenges of this battle. Our heartfelt wish is for their safe return home.

Wishing more peaceful days ahead for all.

Jewish Communities are Coming Together for Foster Families in Israel

With the New Year quickly approaching, Orr Shalom’s VP of External Affairs, Naomi Liberman, is embarking on a U.S. fundraising tour in September to help finance the purchase of a new Family Group Home for 12 at-risk children and youth and to the increased provision of psychological therapy to dozens of children who rely on it to reinforce and strengthen their resilience. Our first visit to the U.S. since the COVID-19 outbreak, Naomi will hold small gatherings in Jewish communities in Los Angeles, Detroit, and Columbus to meet with new and long-time supporters. Our hopes are that with the greater resources, we will be able to take in new children, offer more services, and improve and hone our professional capabilities.

For more information

Midot Seal of Effectiveness extended for three more years

We are proud to announce that Orr Shalom has received the Midot Seal of Effectiveness for the 13th year in a row!  This year, our Seal of Effectiveness is valid for three years instead of the traditional two, in recognition of Orr Shalom’s executive excellence. 

Midot is an NPO whose mission is to promote effectiveness as a main factor for consideration by social investors and NPO leaders

BAMA course graduation

On July 13th, Orr Shalom’s Foster Central Program held a moving event to mark the conclusion of a three-year-long screening process and to welcome the 217 new foster families!  Chairwoman Anat Ramati Shashua, Executive Director Tali Halaf, and our trusted partners from the Ministry of Welfare were in attendance. The event featured an emotional panel that presented different aspects of the foster world: a Foster Big Brother, a foster mother, a grandmother fostering grandchildren, a foster-care graduate and a mother whose daughter was fostered by her relatives. They shared their struggles,   as well as the groundbreaking steps that changed their fostering experience. 

The BAMA assessment, screening and training course is a crucial step in the process of our foster families-to-be. Held online for the last two years due to the pandemic, this course includes theoretical information and practicum regarding children who grow up in out-of-home care, including a profound in-depth learning about potential crises and coping mechanisms. Biological children of potential foster families also attend a specialized workshop that provides them with the tools required for coping with their changing family dynamics. 

A newly welcomed foster father spoke of the importance of the course and its role in the training process, and the tools he received, the implementation of which helped his family cope with crises. He greatly emphasized the contribution of Orr Shalom’s professional team and the experiences of seasoned families who shared their fostering experience. Graduates of the course received certifications at the end of the event.

Annual foster family appreciation celebration

On June 6th, a heartwarming appreciation event was held in Sharet Hall in Petah Tikva, honoring Orr Shalom’s 600 incredible foster families. Hundreds of foster families attended the celebration and enjoyed good food, a video of them singing in an interactive group Orr Gadol together, and a fascinating lecture by Einat Natan. One foster father made a heartfelt toast on behalf of the families and recounted the challenges inherent in the experience, but most of all, the satisfaction of fostering, describing the process as mutually beneficial to the child and the family. This celebration is just one example of the immense gratitude Orr Shalom’s  foster families deserve, for their never-ending love and dedication to children and youth at risk.

An Open Evening for Families interested in becoming Foster Families

Every few weeks, Orr Shalom holds an Open Evening Information Session for families interested in becoming foster families. On this evening, Orr Shalom’s “Foster Central” representatives explain:
• What exactly is a foster family?
• How does the selection process go, and how are families matched with the children?
• What training must each family undergo before taking the child into their home?
• What is the supervision and support package that the foster family and the child receive from the professional staff at Orr Shalom?
Families interested in attending the next Open Evening are invited to click on the link below and fill out the registration form. Once registered, you will be sent additional information.
Looking forward to seeing you!
https://orrshalom.formtitan.com/OrShalomOmna1#/

A New Orr Shalom Project in Collaboration with the Kiryat Yearim Youth Village

A special and productive connection was made between the Kiryat Yearim Youth Village and Orr Shalom by the Fisher Foundation. Orr Shalom’s Graduate Program staff, equipped with vast professional knowledge in caring for teens, has developed a unique program for the Kiryat Yearim staff called “Growing into Independence.” This program aims to assist the youth village staff in preparing their teens for independence upon graduation. Within the framework of the program a needs assessment was carried out of the 10th graders living in the youth village. The program includes one-on-one sessions covering decision-making, IDF preparation, employment, and financial education, and covers emotional aspects such as resilience and the ability to live independently, a future trajectory, emerging adulthood, and the farewell process.
The program will run for three years until the end of 12th-grade and the pupils’ departure from the youth village. The program work plan emphasizes knowledge, providing tools and skills development. Facilitated mainly by the staff of the youth village, the program is also accompanied by an evaluation and measurement process to be able to evaluate the desired change, both among the staff and among the teens. The professional staff of Orr Shalom’s Graduate Program sees the project as fertile ground for further initiatives and the development of thought and learning processes.

Orr Shalom has received special consultative status to the United Nations!

Orr Shalom has received special consultative status to the United Nations!

The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) has announced that it has adopted the recommendation of the Committee of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) to grant Orr Shalom special consultative status to the United Nations and its various institutions, thereby recognizing us as a leader in the field of provision of care and guidance for children and youth at-risk growing up in out-of-home care.

The new status will allow us to provide professional advice and guidance in our areas of activity, attend meetings, events, conferences and activities of the UN and its institutions, serve as observers at public meetings of ECOSOC, its subsidiaries and the Human Rights Council, develop professional relationships with organizations around the world, keep abreast of latest developments and trends, and raise public awareness in the world around the issue of out-of-home care.

Tali Halaf, CEO of Orr Shalom, says: I am excited about the unique and significant recognition we have received for our work to strengthen Israel’s youth. For over four decades we have accumulated vast organizational knowledge and extensive experience in the care of infants, children and youth, including graduates of our organization, who after the age of 18 begin their first steps to independent living.
I am proud of the hundreds of dedicated Orr Shalom employees who are primarily responsible for this achievement, and I am happy to be able to pass on our vast professional knowledge, as well as continue to deepen our knowledge through exposure to various studies, trends and events related to at-risk children around the world.

Become Group Home Parents:
If being parents in a Family Group Home for children at risk sounds challenging and meaningful.
If you are prepared to give and contain.
If you want to be part of this meaningful work, please send your CV to Tali Gefen talig2@orr-shalom.co.il

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