The Program
Status: The Need for Aid
About 156,000 Holocaust live in Israel today.
1 out of 4 are living below the poverty line.
The average age among the Holocaust survivors is 85.7.
Program Objectives
Improving their lives and immediately alleviating the distress of Holocaust survivors in need, through physical and social assistance that will enable a life in dignity by demonstrating care, mutual responsibility and concern for their situation.
Program Services
Monthly Food Box - the survivors recieve a monthly food box delivered directly to their home consisting of food products recommended by a nutritionist with consideration to their age and needs. The food box is delivered straight to their homes to ease their lives by avoiding having to go to a store, while the monthly food assistance enables them to have food security for the month, which has a direct positive effect on their health.
Home visits by personal volunteers - One of the unique aspects of the Aid for Life program is that it provides the food assistance through personal volunteers that are in close contact with the survivors, adding a social element to their often lonely day-to-day lives.
Emergency Fund - is accessible to the survivors in order to receive assistance and aid in regards to their health and daily functioning, in order to enable the survivors to lead independent lives despite obstacles. These services include dental treatments, incontinence pads, emergency buttons, glasses, blankets, heaters, warm winter clothing and more.
Social Support - a part of the social package that is created to assist survivors struggling with loneliness and offers a variety of activities, such as: group meals and holiday parties, visits to the theater and cinema, concerts, birthday celebrations and more. Since the creation of the program there has been an added focus on finding ways to alleviate the survivors loneliness, especially during the holidays, by organizing various collaborations with companies, organizations etc. Due to the specical restrictions followeing the Covid-19 crisis, these activities were put on hold and replaced by phone calls on a regular basis, as well as hybrid collaborations with companies.
Home Repairs Project - the project started in 2013 with the mission to renovate and repair the homes of Holocaust survivors in order to improve their quality of life and to ensure their safety at home in relation to increasing needs stemming from aging and physical limitations. The need to make their homes accessible and comfortable increased even more during the Covid-19 pandemic, as the elderly were more or less isolated in their homes for extensive periods of time. Latet continued its activities during the pandemic, with an emphasis on ensuring the safety of the survivors, by observing strict regulations in regards to keeping them healthy by ensuring that the repair crew all were wearing masks, gloves, etc. and keeping a suitable distance to the survivor. Since the Home Repairs Project was created, thousands of apartments have been renovated, and in 2022 alone we will renovate about 470 apartments.
Hygiene Products - In light of the need for additional hygiene products among Holocaust survivors and especially in the wake of the challenges posed by the Covid-19 crisis, for about six months, survivors in the holistic aid program were given additional packages of hygiene products containing shampoo, masks, alcohol-gel, liquid soap, soap , dish soap, wipes, washing powder, bleach and gel for cleaning floors with their monthly food box.
Need:
According to the National Insurance Institute, there are around 156,000 Holocaust survivors living in Israel, and approximately 25% of them live in poverty. Moreover, approximately 40 Holocaust survivors die every day. While the survivor population is steadily declining, their needs grow more numerous with each passing year.
Target Population:
Aid for Life supports individuals who are recognized by governmental authorities as Holocaust survivors, and defined as in need in accordance with welfare authorities.
Model and Structure:
The program provides comprehensive aid that includes:
Nutritional Security:
- Each month survivors receive food packages delivered to their homes, with contents based on advice from leading nutritionists.
Emergency Fund:
- This fund provides response to unforeseen and urgent needs of the survivor including various medical necessities, at no cost (dental care, eyeglasses, adult diapers and more).
Social Support:
- Each survivor is partnered with a personal volunteer who visits him or her on a regular basis. Addtionally, the program organizes holiday parties, trips and other social activities throughout the year.
Restoration Project:
- The program offers small home repairs and renovations to ensure the personal safety of the survivor and improve their overall quality of life.
Scope of Activity:
- Annual budget: $1.638.000 (money - $1,530,000; in-kind - $110,500)
- 1,450 Holocaust survivors in need are part of the Aid for Life program
- 1,500 Holocaust survivors in need (experiencing severe financial need, advanced age, isolation and/or do not receive aid from other sources) have received aid so far since the inception of the program.
- 29 locations across Israel
- 1,300 volunteers
- Aid worth $240,000 (dental treatment, incontinence products, glasses, etc.) as part of the Emergency Fund
- 470 apartments were renovated in 2022 as part of the restoration project
Highlights:
Aid for Life offers various social events for its participants throughout the country including, trips, activities, community meals, performances, and celebrations. During the holidays the program organizes festive events in cooperation with Israeli companies.
Effectiveness
Relative Advantages and Additional Value:
Network of Volunteers:
- Aid for Life maintains a unique group of dedicated volunteers who receive extensive and professional training in order to provide the most effective assistance to Holocaust survivors. The volunteers diligently work to develop long-lasting and loving relationships with the survivors, ensuring they feel safe, cared for, and respected.
Holistic Aid:
- Aid for Life offers support to respond to the needs of Holocaust survivors in all aspects of their lives.
Strategic Partnerships:
- Latet partners with health funds, local social welfare departments, and companies from the business sector to provide the best relief for survivors.
Uniqueness:
- Aid for Life is the only program in Israel that offers a holistic, dignified and immediate aid package that is both ongoing and regularly accessible directly through volunteers.
Measures of Success:
The following statistics demonstrate an improvement in the Holocaust survivors' situations, before and after receiving aid:
- 89% reported that the comprehensive aid they receive helps them to a great or very great extent, and enables them to live with dignity
- 92% indicated that they were satisfied to a great or very great extent with the relationship they have with their volunteer
- 97% indicated that the home repairs the organization carried out improved their everyday comfort to a great or very great extent
- 97% responded that they were satisfied to a great or very great extent with this year’s holiday events Latet held for them
Channels of Influence:
The program succeeds in making a change through the following channels of influence:
Physical aid:
- The assistance with food, emergency fund and home restorations enables the survivors to allocate resources to other essential needs.
Mental State:
- Through constant social visits and gatherings, the survivor's overall mental state is improved, thus positively affecting their quality of life.
Solidarity reinforcement:
- Thanks to thousands of volunteers and dozens of companies who cooperate with the program, the sense of solidarity and mutual responsibility increases.
Raising Awareness:
- Aid for Life's volunteer community helps to raise public awareness on the current state of Holocaust survivors living in Israel today.
Measures of Efficiency:
- Ratio of volunteers to aid recipients: 1,300 dedicated volunteers provide regular aid to 1,450 survivors
- 60,000 volunteer hours annually dedicated to improving the quality of life of Holocaust survivors in need