Approximately 35,000 kids and youths in Israel have lost one or both their parents, and they’re at a higher risk of finding themselves in extreme danger..
According to a report published by Hamaniot, an Israeli nonprofit for kids and youth who’ve lost a parent, about 67% of these kids in Israel aren’t recognized by the welfare services, and do not receive appropriate care.
Kids and youth who lost a parent are 3 times more likely to deal with mental illness, 15 times more likely to develop eating disorders, 5.5 times more likely to become addicted to drugs or alcohol, 13 times more likely to drop out of school, and 25 times more likely to end up in prostitution.
The Israeli state budget to treat those who were hurt by a loss was cut by $3.2 Million ahead of 2022.
Some of these kids and youth find their way to ELEM. It is important to remember that not only are they dealing with endangering behaviors, the reason they got there in the first place is a loss of a parent, which can be a young person’s whole world.
We can’t change the state budget, but we can be there when the kids seek us, and with your help, we can help make their lives a little (and often a lot) better.
