• We have built an autonomous supportive community framework, which is not dependent on “the establishment”
• The name MAKSAM is well known and is recognized among Ethiopian-Israeli communities throughout Israel as a model program in the field of immigrant absorption
• We have successfully involved Ethiopian-Israeli parents in their children’s education – something unheard of in Ethiopia, and which did not happen in Israel before MAKSAM
• We have created a “triangle of belonging”: pupils – parents – MAKSAM staff
• We have succeeded in preventing our youngsters from hanging around on the streets, and distanced them from violence and the temptations of drugs and alcohol, while teaching them positive values such as mutual assistance and the importance of achievement.
• The Board of the Gidon Association regularly checks to ensure that its goals are met
• The academic, social and behavioral achievements of MAKSAM’s pupils are considerably higher than those other Ethiopian school children who do not attend MAKSAM.
• Since MAKSAM was founded more Ethiopian pupils in Hadera are eligible for matriculation.
• Many of MAKSAM’s graduates serve in combat units in the IDF (their own choice) and a high percentage achieve the rank of officer.
• Many MAKSAM graduates continue to higher education after their national service.
• MAKSAM’s choir and dance troupe are regularly invited to perform at events staged by the Hadera Municipality.
• According to information from the Hadera Police Department, the MAKSAM centers have a positive effect on the reduction of statistics for juvenile offenders.

The activities of the Gidon Association enable and empower Hadera’s Ethiopian community.

The Gidon Association changes the former status quo of the community’s dependency on “the establishment” to one where the community takes responsibility for its own fate.

The Gidon Association is a registered Non-Profit Association authorized to receive tax-deductible donations in accordance with Section 46 of the Israeli Income Tax Ordinance.