Sderot – The Continuing Tension in the South

We were able to help a single 28-year-old mother living in Sderot who has an autistic daughter aged 8. Despite the tension from the rockets that continue to be fired from Gaza (today one fell in the residential area), she is working to the best of her ability to cover all her expenses. However, it has proven to be impossible to provide all the help that her autistic daughter needs. She is enrolled in a special education programme and receives additional speech therapy as she speaks very little. In addition to the education programme, there are several therapies that help her acquire more balance and peace in her young life but they are not covered financially. As a result of this, Yad L’Ami received a request for help to enable the girl to continue with horse therapy. Following our visit and discussions with the mother, we decided that if Yad L’Ami and the mother each pay half of the cost, her daughter could receive double the number of teaching hours. We believe that if people themselves participate in the cost, they often handle the gift in a more responsible way. Yad L’Ami pays the therapy organization directly.