The After-School Enrichment Program is the core of MAKSAM's activities.

• Our 6 neighborhood centers cater to over 400 children from grades 1 though 6 during the 10 months of the school year.
• The children are taught in small groups of 15, allowing for individual attention.
• Professional instruction covers critical subjects: Hebrew Language and Hebrew Grammar, English, Math, and Computers.
• Specially trained soldier-teachers assist teachers in homework supervision, and older children and youth participate in mentor activities, giving them a rewarding occupation while presenting a positive example.
• Enrichment activities are aimed at improving social skills, and strengthening individual and group self-image.
• Art classes form a vital part of the program, providing opportunities for exploring traditional Ethiopian themes, non-verbal expression, teamwork and creativity.

Middle School Program

• The Ethiopian National Project, which was established in 2004, seeks to increase the numbers of Ethiopian students achieving a full matriculation, and to prevent teens from dropping out of high school.
• As a result of MAKSAM's achievements, the Ethiopian National Project chose MAKSAM as its partner in Hadera to deliver school enrichment to Middle School students, Grades 7 through 9.
• The students study Hebrew, Math, English, Current Affairs and Computers.
• Program participants are accompanied by a young Ethiopian youth worker, who provides support to discouraged students, is a mentor for teens struggling to cope with the dual pressures of adolescence and absorption, and presents a stable role model.

Special Education Program

• The aim of this program is to enable Ethiopian children who are misplaced in special education to return to regular classes.
• Many Ethiopian pupils are channeled into special education classes by the school system because of behavioral problems or poorly developed learning skills, as most schools have no other effective solution for them.
• MAKSAM provides additional assistance to over 30 children that have been moved to Special Education at school for inadequate reasons.
• MAKSAM tutors these children in groups of five, reinforces their basic skills and teaches them behavioral skills to enable them to function in a normative classroom setting.

Hot Meal Program

All the children attending the MAKSAM centers receive a nutritious hot meal, to ensure that their daily dietary requirements for healthy physical, emotional and social development are being met. For some of the MAKSAM children this is the only hot meal that they will eat during the day.

Connecting - Fathers and Sons

• Connecting is a unique program created by MAKSAM, that aims to allow Ethiopian fathers to reclaim their role within the family and to help bridge the cultural divide between the generations.
• 12 father / son pairs participate in each 10 month program course, which provides:
  • Fortnightly parenting workshops in Amharic for the fathers, designed to help them identify differences in values and cultural norms, teach appropriate parenting skills for a modern consumer society and to teach new techniques of positive communication and negotiation.
  • Fortnightly fun sessions for fathers and sons together, alternating between computer classes and craft classes. These sessions provide the opportunity for the participants to be physically close, to discuss and decide about how to work together on their project and to feel shared pride in their results.

Soccer with HaPoel Tel Aviv

• Twice weekly soccer practice for Ethiopian-Israeli boys and girls from grades 4, 5 and 6 with coaches from the famous HaPoel Tel Aviv soccer club.
• Children must participate in the MAKSAM after-school enrichment program in order to attend sports practice.
• Each group of 25 children has a young adult Ethiopian-Israeli leader, who has experience and training either as a physical fitness instructor in the army or is a graduate of the Wingate Sports Institute.
• Children benefit from the involvement in team sport, the strengthening of their physical skills, self-confidence, and non-verbal communication. In addition they also receive benefit from MAKSAM's after-school program, a daily hot meal and close cooperation with a young adult Ethiopian group leader, who provides an excellent role model and gives individual attention and mentoring to the children in his/her group.

Other unique features of MAKSAM

• Ongoing individual contact between the center administrator and the parents, for example: Translating notes from school, accompanying parents to parent/teacher meetings, helping parents learn to contribute positively to their children's education.
• Traditional Ethiopian celebrations organized by the volunteer team of parents.
• Youth leadership development activities for 3 hours each week.
• Computer classes for young adults recently demobilized from the army to teach them much needed skills and improve their employment prospects.
• Mentoring assistance to other Ethiopian communities throughout Israel who wish to replicate the MAKSAM model.