Joint Israel

Joint Israel, a prominent nonprofit organization, is dedicated to making a difference in the lives of Israel's most disadvantaged populations: children, youths-at-risk, people with disabilities, vulnerable new immigrants, and the elderly. By creating model programs for these groups, Joint Israel aims to build a more just society.

The organization's primary focus lies in addressing the challenges facing five distinct groups in Israeli society. These groups include children, especially those from the Arab sector and those in the social and geographic peripheries, who are striving to achieve higher socioeconomic status than their parents. Joint Israel's mission encompasses improving access to health, wellbeing, and skill-development opportunities for these individuals at all stages of life.

Joint Israel recognizes that Israel's growing young population will be the driving force behind the country's economy in the future. By closing gaps and improving the abilities of today's young people, Joint Israel aims to help them build a stronger future, regardless of their birthplace or their parents' socioeconomic status. To accomplish this, Joint Israel provides opportunities and access to quality services from birth through young adulthood and fosters family and community support.

One of Joint Israel's pioneering initiatives, Families First, assists poor families in creating lasting change in their lives. Social workers and family mentors work closely with these families to help them build and carry out a personalized plan for improving their situation. In 2022, Families First provided guidance to over 3,000 poverty-stricken families, enabling them to break out of the cycle of poverty. Additionally, workshops and counseling sessions at local empowerment centers helped an additional 14,000 adults gain essential skills.

Another significant program, STEM for All, aims to enhance the future job prospects and career mobility of elementary school students in Israel's periphery by increasing their STEM skills and creative-thinking processes. In 2022, over 5,000 children in 50 schools in 8 low-income communities participated in this program. Ten STEM trainers, veteran science teachers, worked with teachers to design engaging STEM lessons and with principals to cultivate a school environment that promotes STEM skills.

Young adults and families facing crushing debts often struggle without proper support during their transition to adulthood. To address this issue, Joint Israel launched the Debt Rehabilitation program, offering legal/financial consultation, workshops, and interest-free loans to debtors. Over 1,000 young adults and 1,500 debtors received legal guidance, and 180 debtors received grants or loans to help renegotiate or repay their debts. This multi-dimensional approach to debt rehabilitation, which considers the debtor's social welfare, financial, and legal needs, has resulted in a 15% debt resolution rate for Arab families and a 34% overall debt burden reduction for young adult participants.