Dear Friends

Fourteen years of intensive activity on the part of the volunteers of the Gidon Association have passed… activity which started from nothing but over the years has succeed in reaching higher and higher goals.

Our dedicated activity has yielded blessed rewards.

In the beginning the road was not so smooth, but with the help of dedicated friends who “caught the bug” we have succeeded in concentrating our activities to achieve our goal of changing the reality for the children of Hadera’s Ethiopian Israeli community and to enable them to realize their dreams.  We set up the MAKSAM Network to achieve those goals.

The MAKSAM Network was established as a result of, and because of, the need to change the harsh reality which existed at the beginning of the mass immigration of the Beta Yisrael to Israel.  It was not simple by any means.  We confronted many obstacles along the way… financial obstacles and bureaucratic obstacles from the various organizations working in the field at that time which did not correctly identify the genuine distress of the community’s children and their parents.   They did not always see us as partners.

However, thanks to the steadfastness and determination of our volunteers we succeeded and MAKSAM became a model program to admire and copy.

We started off with one After-School Study Center located in the heart of a neighborhood populated mainly by Ethiopian immigrants.  Over time, and in response to the needs of the residents of the various neighborhoods, we expanded, and now the MAKSAM Network runs 5 After School Study Centers in Hadera serving over 250 children and their families.

MAKSAM’s activities concentrate on advancing the community’s children (and their parents) in many spheres, such as:  assistance with homework preparation, reinforcement lessons in the core subjects, reinforcement and expansion of enrichment subjects, participation in the Children of the Dream soccer project with Hapoel Keter Tel Aviv’s Educational and Social Project, promoting Ethiopian culture and heritage, positive use of leisure hours, and empowerment and strengthening of the parents.

The MAKSAM Board believes in the methods we have chosen and works with the cooperation of the activists, volunteers and parents.

This joint activity is the secret of our success and is the personification of an Ethiopian proverb:

“It takes an entire village to educate one child”

We endeavour to cooperate with other agencies in Hadera in order to provide the pupils with a wide range of activities to fill in their free time, and the attention and nurturing they need in order to succeed in the future.

Although the MAKSAM Network serves elementary school pupils (1st – 6th grade), the Board of the Gidon Association and the MAKSAM Board regard themselves as responsible for, and committed to the children as they grow up, and accordingly they follow the pupils’ progress and are always ready to help and attentive to their needs.

It is important to remember that the members of the Amuta receive much praise and many commendations for their activities on behalf of the children of the Israeli Ethiopian community of Hadera .

There are many contributing partners to our success, and this is the time to send our heartfelt thanks, in the name of the Board of the Gidon Association and of the MAKSAM Network, to the Hadera Municipality, the Ministry of Immigrant Absorption, and to our many donors and supporters who enable us to achieve the goals we have set for ourselves.

A special “Thank You” to the children of the MAKSAM Network, to our brothers and friends who believed in us and allowed us the privilege of being part of their lives.

Thank you to the MAKSAM Management and to the staff and volunteers of the 5 MAKSAM centers for the wonderful job you do, which is appreciated by many.

A special “Thank You” to the community activists who have been involved in the project for so many years.   Please accept my great appreciation of all the time  you dedicate  to ensuring our success.  .  Your initiative, perseverance and dedication to our cause are commendable.  Your efforts are a symbol and an example  for the children, the youth, and indeed the entire community.

Well Done!

Sincerely,

Tezara (Natan) Bougale
Chairman, Gidon Association for Ethiopian Jews in Hadera
MAKSAM Network