ISRAEL AT WAR
MBKI Co-founder Dov Gelman has recently returned from a second trip to Israel since the massacre of October 7, 2023.
We have now entered the second phase of Operation Solidarity and have zeroed in on the humanitarian needs of the displaced residents of Kibbutz Nahal Oz and the unique needs of the children and teens with special needs of the Shar HaNegev county that was attacked on October 7, 2023.
During this visit, MBKI met with the director of welfare of Kibbutz Nahal Oz who are now housed in a kibbutz in the Lower Galilee. These residents are unable to return to their homes while the war continues because of the proximity to the border and the fact that the kibbutz has become a military base.
15 residents of the kibbutz were murdered including four children. Two fathers remain in captivity in Gaza. There are 80 children from first to twelve grade who are in need of some type of psychological treatment.
To date, 25 children who experienced the trauma of losing a parent or sibling during the initial massacre or have a parent who remains in captivity receive animal therapy twice a week. There are three groups of 14 children who participate in animal therapy once a week.
MBKI will help subsidize the continued animal and art treatment and expand the project to include more of the 80 kibbutz children.
MBKI will assist the kibbutz leadership in subsidizing both “Mother’s Day Out” projects monthly to give the moms a much needed break and heal in the company of their friends.
MBKI will provide a supplemental budget for two outings to a national park to further strengthen the resilience of the entire community. Subsidizing a community wide field trip includes the cost of renting buses, guides, armed escorts and food.
Cost Break down:
ANIMAL THERAPY
$125/child for two session per week or
$500/child for an entire month
MOTHER’S DAY OUT
$150 per mother
$470 per bus
KIBBUTZ RESILIENCE FIELD TRIP
$470 per bus (4 buses)
$190 per guide (2 guides)
$280 per armed guard (4 guards)
$3000 for food to feed over 200 people
– Operation Solidarity Update 10/15/2023
