Israel

The Israel strategy of the Bernard van Leer Foundation is national in scope and therefore relevant to 1.3 million children aged 0 to 8 years, who are growing up in the country. The overarching theme is investing in young children, especially those who are most disadvantaged, in order to improve their welfare today and the quality of Israel’s workforce in the future. The three goals in Israel are:

Universal access to quality pre-school among 3 to 6 year old children

In Israel, all children have, by law, the right to access preschool education. Based on our analysis, the quality of and access to preschool education is not equal for all children in Israel. Access to preschool for Israeli Arab children, Jewish Ethiopian children, Haredi children and children of migrant workers is considerably lower than for Israeli Jewish children. A closer analysis of resource flows to all vulnerable communities will help us determine which group(s) we should focus on. Good quality early learning is the foundation for better learning outcomes in higher education and positive social and emotional development in general, increasing the potential to succeed in life. Our main interest is therefore in contributing to this goal.   

Reduced incidence of depression, anxiety and aggression among young Jewish and Arab children exposed to political violence

All children in Israel live in a context of political violence. Societal violence has a detrimental impact on young children’s wellbeing. Investment that builds coping skills and resilience contributes to the capacity of children to deal with traumatic events, and limits the chance of long term impacts on their lives. 

Reduced rates of malnutrition among young Bedouin children growing up in unhealthy physical environments in the Negev

Safe and healthy environments, good nutrition and healthcare are lacking in the Bedouin communities in the Negev. This includes lack of basic services such as clean water, electricity, waste management, hygienic conditions in the home environment, transportation services and recreational facilities. By focusing on improvement of these conditions, a contribution is made for young children to develop in a more healthy way and in a more appropriate and child friendly environment.

Programme strategy

You can download a summary of our Israel strategy for an outline of how we are approaching the goals summarised above, as well as a shorter two-page handout.

Feedback

Do you have comments on our goals in Israel? Please contact our programme officer for Israel, Marc Mataheru: marc.mataheru@bvleerf.nl