International Women’s Day brings awareness to women’s rights. Today we want to turn your attention to the exclusion and the cycle of poverty faced by Israeli young mothers at-risk.
Israeli young mothers at risk often don’t receive the help they need due to their marital and parental status. The help they do get is often focused on the child, leaving the mother’s need unanswered.
This is where ELEM’s program comes in. The program provides at-risk young mothers with personal mentors to help develop skills for independent living such as preparation for the job market, securing housing and maximizing their government benefits.
The program also advocates for broad policy changes. This means we work on raising awareness to the issues they face and working with other organizations and service providers.
Last month, Avigail Hatzor Sivan, the manager of ELEM young mothers at-risk program took part in a panel discussion focusing on relationships and parenting among youth and young people whose circumstances lead them to live outside their homes.
She emphasized the need to assist those young women at this critical point, of tremendous potential for change upon entering parenthood, in order to help them change the story of their lives and the lives of their children.
This International Women’s Day we want to reemphasize Avigail’s important message – when we help young mothers, when we give them the resources and opportunity we are helping generations of women to follow.
